Competition
by Durriken
Summary: The Five Great Lands and all their genin are mixing up...and stuck between it all is a very confused Naruto
1. By the Lakeside

Title: Competitions 1?

Author: DarkZero180

Author's E-mail: Teen (T)

Warning: AU, Slight OOC

Summary: Stuck between lovers Torn between fighting. The stakes are high when you're Naruto Uzumaki

A/N: This is my first attempt at writing a fan fiction story. Hope you enjoy it.

bold Sakura's inner self

Beta'd by: DarkMisstical

Feedback welcomed and appreciated

Chapter One: By the lake side

The rising sun shined through the open window of one Naruto Uzumaki. His eyelids twitched open as he sat up. He removed his penguin head cover and ruffled his yellowish blonde hair.

"Another gorgeous day in the land of Konohagakure," he mumbled yawning.

He swung his feet over his bed, got up, and groggily wandered over to the fridge. Half way there he tripped and rolled until he crashed into the fridge. "Stupid holes in the stupid floor," he said getting up and rubbing his aching head. From the looks of things, he lived in a one room apartment with a bathroom, an extremely small living room, and a kitchen. There were holes in the ceiling and some in the floor, moss was abundant, and he had a very serious case of roaches that sometimes ate his food. But, to him this place was better than no place. Besides, it was all he could afford with the money the fifth Hokage gave him.

"Jeez, these stupid mornings start way to early," he moaned. He opened the fridge door hopping to see a cup of ramen. No such luck. Pulling out some slightly stale milk and some cold toast he sat the plate down with a clunk on the table and ate in silence wondering what he was going to do today. "Boy, great breakfast he thought with a burp. Would have been even better if I had had any ramen left but what the hell, I should be happy I even have any food. Now, let's see here…today, what's on the schedule for today. Oh yea…yesterday I had three bowls of miso ramen so this time I think I'll take one of everything on the menu."

He dressed inhis usual orange jumpsuit and put on his goggles. He then placed his shuriken throwers and kunai knives in a small rectangular black box on his right thigh. One of the most important things for a Shinobi was to never let your guard down and always carry your ninja stars. He then raced to the door with nothing on his mind but ramen. He had just grabbed the doorknob only to be thrown back when it was kicked open. "Dammit!" He got up clutching his nose as someone walked in through the opening. It was a man, a rather short and fat one at that. He clutched an envelope in his pudgy right hand. "Is your name…uh…" He checked the letter. "Oh, is your name Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Depends. And what're you doing bursting through the door of my house? Who are you!" Naruto yelled balling up his fists.

"If you can call this dinky place a house," the man said taking a seat at Naruto's table. "Oh my, you only had toast and milk? Eww, stale milk at that."

"Listen here fatty--" He stopped as a gurgling sound regurgitated throughout his home. He clutched his stomach leaning over with a strained look on his face. As sweat glistened on his face he held up a finger and squeaked, "Hold on, don't go anywhere…be right back!" A second later he dashed into the bathroom and slammed the door closed. After some horrible sploshing and squishing sounds that made the fat man cringe with disgust Naruto walked out patting his stomach and breathing a little harder than normal. "Now, where was I? Oh yeah…listen here fatty, I don't know who the hell you are but if you don't get out of here in the next five minutes your cheek is gonna meet my fist!"

"I do hope you mean my face. You aren't gay are you?" The man asked raising an eyebrow. "And another thing, that's what happens when you drink expired milk, brat."

A vein in Naruto's temple began throbbing. "That does it!" He charged the man swinging his fist. With surprising agility the man sidestepped and grabbed Naruto's fist flipping him onto the ground smack dab on his back. He moaned as the wind was knocked out of him.

"Let's try to be a little bit more calm shall we? I'm not here to fight you I've been asked to give this invitation," The man dropped the letter in his hand onto Naruto's pumping stomach. "If you agree to the standards discussed in the pamphlet meet at the designated place at the allotted time." With that the man bowed, made about two hand seals, and then disappeared in a shroud of dust.

Naruto just lay there on his back staring out his open door. The letter was resting upon his stomach. "Now what the heck was that about. Some fat dude bustin' through my door, decks me one, then disappears." He got up and opened the letter expecting an eviction notice or something of the sort. He was thoroughly surprised by the contents.

It read:

To the one called Uzumaki Naruto. You have been accepted to partake in a mission of the utmost importance. You were selected because of the strong will and power you harbor deep inside of you. If you accept this invitation the meeting day will be Saturday and the Place will be the entrance gate to Konohagakure.

He read and reread the letter with his smile growing bigger and bigger with each pass. He ran over to his calendar to check the day. With a groan he saw that it was Tuesday. "Dang! Son of a…they would send me somethin' like this and try my patience by making me wait! I can't believe they're gonna let me do this without having become a Shinobi of the village. Kick-ass! By meeting at gate of Konohagakure they're almost giving away that we'll be leaving! Cool, my first time leaving this stinking village in thirteen years!" Then something clicked in his head as an evil grin spread across his face. "This is one thing that that fool Sasuke won't have over me! I can't wait to get to school so I can…" It was then that he realized how much time he had wasted. He turned around slowly to look at the clock as a feeling of dread washed over him. School didn't start until eight and his clock was reading 8:28…

"I'm late!" He screamed dashing out the door almost forgetting to lock it. "Shoot! Master Iruka's gonna be so mad! I'm so screwed!" He leapt from building top to building top in his hurry to get to school. Along the way he slipped and fell into a gutter. "Damn!" He got up quickly and continued.

He dashed through the streets; not daring to skip across buildings again. The sun was shining bright and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. His school came into view. It looked like a castle overlooking the village. He kicked it into high-gear as the school bell sounded throughout the area.

Minutes later Naruto kicked open the door then leaned against the doorframe panting. He looked around the room and saw his classmates staring at him. Some of them shook their heads while others muttered, "Idiot…always late." Then he spotted Master Iruka. He had put down the piece of chalk he was using to scribble something on the board. Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Yo, teach. Sorry about my lateness but something strange happened this morning and--" He was interrupted when Iruka grabbed him by the ear. Next thing he knew he was tied up and placed in the front of the class facing Master Iruka. While he screamed and shouted, Naruto looked away with his bottom lip poking out in a defiant way.

"Always late, Naruto. Can't you ever be on time? Argh, you're such a headache sometimes, I swear. At any rate, tomorrow all your classmates will pass the final and graduate from the ninja academy, everyone except you!" Iruka yelled spraying Naruto with spittle. "The last couple of days your grades have been terrible! Just yesterday you befouled the faces of the Hokages, and in paint no less! Now is not the time for you stupid half-baked schemes, you idiot!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Naruto said sarcastically.

"Rrrrrr…brat." Master Iruka untied Naruto and told him to take his seat. "Go take your seat." Naruto sat next to his would-be girl Haruno Sakura, a long pink haired beauty wearing a one piece red dress with pink flowers stitched into it, who sat next to her would-be boy Uchiha Sasuke, a cold spiky black haired genius of the arts wearing a dark blue shirt with clean white shorts. "Now, there will be a competition going on in four days time. No doubt the letters were passed out."

Naruto looked around and saw that no one had raised their hand. "I DID! I GOT AN INVITE!" He yelled happily thrusting his hand into the air. He then turned to the raven haired boy sitting across from him. "Lemme see you beat that, Uchiha!"

Instead of answering Sasuke merely grunted into his hands. "Dunce…"

"What? What'd you call me?" Naruto yelled standing up.

"Naruto! Sit down!" Iruka yelled throwing a piece of chalk. It hit Naruto right in the forehead knocking him over with a thud. Climbing shakily back into his seat Naruto looked at Master Iruka who said, "Maybe if you would've read your letter you would know you weren't supposed to answer that question!"

Naruto stared wide-eyed at his sensei. "Then…then why did you ask!"

"I didn't ask. All I said was that there was no doubt that you got the letters," Iruka replied stiffly.

Naruto's fellow classmates laughed and pointed. Feeling thoroughly embarrassed Naruto sat down allowing his head to fall on the table with a resounding clunk. As a result he suffered an aching knot.

"As I was saying before that interruption, we shall be splitting people up according to how they do on Saturday."

Sakura threw her hand into the air. "Splitting us up for what?" She asked as Iruka nodded at her.

"Ah, for that answer you'll have to wait until Saturday," Iruka stated putting two fingers to his lips while smiling at Sakura's confused look. "Now, no one without a hitai-ate will be permitted to attend the matters on Saturday. Your final exams will take place tomorrow at nine o'clock…sharp," he added cutting his eye at Naruto who stuck out his tongue. Ignoring this he said, "Anyone who's even a second late will fail and won't get to participate, that even goes for you Naruto!"

Naruto went wide-eyed as he made a mental note to get an alarm clock. "Jeez, just my freaking luck! Up yours Iruka!" Naruto shouted holding up both his middle fingers.

Master Iruka sneered as he said calmly, "Just for that outburst…today's lesson will be strengthening our chakra by walking across the lake!"

"Whaat!" The class exploded in protest shouting and yelling.

Iruka held up his hand and silence fell, though some continued to mumble. "You can all thank Naruto for this. What I originally had planned were simple conjuration tests." This caused several of Naruto's classmates to give him the look. The look that everyone gave him, like all they could see was a screw-up and trouble maker inside of him. "Okay class…to the lake! Chop-chop!"

"Ah, you're just out to make my life a livin' hell ain't cha?" Naruto yelled as he got up.

"You just won't shut-up will you moron? Your big mouth just landed you a special exercise," Iruka said opening the door.

Groaning and continuously throwing angry looks at Naruto they followed their sensei out of the building and down to the woods. They walked for about ten minutes before a clearing was seen. They stopped at the edge of the lake looking out into it. The fish were bountiful in this bank and among fishmongers this was a haunt for fishermen. The lake was sky blue and shivered at the light breeze. The sun shone through the clearing in the trees making the water look like shimmering crystals. Naruto peeked into the lake and saw his reflection. He was bonier than he realized.

"Guess I need to eat more ramen," he said licking his lips. "Boy I can't wait."

Iruka shook his head pitifully and said, "Keep your mind on your schoolwork instead of your stomach glutton."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto said absentmindedly. His thoughts were at his noodle stand and him ordering one of everything on the menu. He began counting down the different types of noodles he was going to have. "Ramen, miso ramen, pork ramen, shrimp ramen, chicken ramen, teriyaki ramen…" Without even realizing it he was drooling. Sakura smacked him over the head saying, "Gross Naruto!"

"Ignoring the idiot," Iruka said with a sigh, "when you complete this exercise and get your grade you are free to leave. Remember…nine o'clock sharp. Now, let's begin. Starting off is Uchiha Sasuke!" Sasuke stepped forward with his hands comfortably in his pockets. "First thing to do Sasuke, is to channel your chakra to your feet to create a balance so you can place your foot on the water without sinking. Sasuke rolled his eyes under his eyelids.

"I don't need you to tell me what to do," he muttered darkly while concentrating.

Iruka tapped his clipboard with his pen. "Uh, yeah you do, otherwise I wouldn't be saying it."

Sasuke resisted the temptation to argue any further on the subject. He didn't need to be told how to concentrate considering he had the tops in the school. He sighed relaxing his muscles and relieving himself of tension.

"Anytime now Mister, Uchiha. While we're young," Iruka said checking his watch. Naruto smiled looking up at Iruka with new found respect. He had never seen him criticize Sasuke before.

"I think that would apply to the students. _Sensei_." He added emphasis on that last word as he cut his eye at Iruka. Iruka remained quiet, determined not to dock any points from his total score. A satisfied grin appeared over Sasuke's face as he set one foot over the water. Then came the other and just like that he was standing on top of the water with the fish swimming about their way beneath him. He walked across the water like he was taking a stroll through the park. He made it to the other side with relative ease. Turning around he glared at Iruka who begrudgingly said, "Uchiha Sasuke! Pass!"

'**_Oh yeah! Sasuke's da bomb! He did that without even breaking a sweat!'_**Inner Sakura shouted throwing her fists in the air. "Great job Sasuke!" Sakura said waving. Her would-be way to attract Sasuke's attention caught the eye of Ino. "Sakura…you damn brown-noser," she said growling.

"Ya snooze, ya lose you pig," Sakura whispered out the corner of her mouth. She continued to wave and practically fainted when Sasuke returned the friendly gesture That had to be a first.**_ 'Yeah! Score one for Sakura!'_** Inner Sakura whooped happily.

Ino resisted the temptation to grab Sakura and choke the crap out of her. Ino has blond hair like Naruto but hers was more of a whitish color. She lets a strand of hair hang down in the front of her face as a bang. She wore a purple chest-high tunic; she had wrapped bandages around her stomach and waist. Below that she was wearing a purple skirt with slits up both sides but anyone who was perverted and tried to peek would be thoroughly disappointed. The bandages covering her waist were also used to cover her all the way down to her thighs.

With a nod Sasuke turned around, raised a hand as if waving good-bye and soon vanished into the thicket of the woods. The birds flew away up ahead signaling his location. "That's one jag-off that's taken care off," Iruka said thankful for Sasuke's immediate departure. He turned his attention to his clipboard. "Next up is…Nara Shikamaru. Front and center!"

A scrawny looking boy with black hair tied into a spiky ponytail stepped forward. He wore a white shirt with the words Shinobi life…just what the hell is a shinobi's life? That was covered by a light green chest high vest that was left open. He wore ankle high brown pants and always kept his hands in his pockets. He had a gold earring in his left ear. His face was always in a scowl to match his personality of thinking everything was trivial and a waste of time. As he walked past Naruto he elbowed him in the side.

"This is all your fault that we're doing this stupid pain in the neck assignment," he muttered.

"Blow me," Naruto said as Shikamaru stepped up to the edge of the river.

Iruka held out his hand signaling his start. "You know the drill."

"Dammit…this sucks," he sighed removing his hands from his pockets. He put them together and closed his eyes in deep concentration. Blue strife's of chakra started gathering at his feet as he grunted, struggling to summon it to his feet. His heart began beating fast against his chest.

"When you're ready," Iruka said. He said this in a patient tone unlike the one he used against Sasuke.

Shikamaru's eyes snapped open as he set one foot over the water. It surrounded his foot making him pull back.

A classic anime sweat drop appeared on Iruka. 'All that preparing and gathering of chakra and he _still_ botches it up. I don't think even Naruto could do that' he thought with a sigh.

"Give it up, Shikamaru," Kiba said putting a hand up to his mouth to stifle his laughter. Naruto eyed Kiba with the utmost disliking. He never did like him. Kiba was a lazy good-for-nothing who always tried to throw his weight around by talking down to people. His full name was Inuzuka Kiba. He had two rectangular red patches; one on each cheek. He wore a grey hoody with fur running along the outer rim of the hood making it look he had a huge mane of black hair. Black ankle high pants covered his slender legs. He's best friend is a little furry white dog, named Akamaru, that he found when he was a child. They never parted and always went everywhere together. One of Akamaru's favorite places to lounge around was perched upon Kiba's head on top of his hood.

"Shut-up Kiba." Shikamaru once again joined his hands and went into deep focus trying to reach his untapped Chakra. Finally, after his third time of failing Shikamaru lost it and took one step over the lake. His foot didn't sink this time, instead it was perfectly placed on top of the surface. But unfortunately, Shikamaru didn't notice this. While putting his other foot on the water's surface he growled, "This…is…so…stupid!" With that he stomped across the water muttering curses to himself. On his way he even kicked a fish out of the water and straight into a tree on the opposite side. His peers watched in utter amazement as Shikamaru reached the other side of the lake. It was then that he seemed to come out of his ranting rampage. He slowly turned around and saw that he had made it. His eyes met with Iruka's as he wrote something down on his clip clipboard. "Nara Shikamaru…you passed! But barely. Had to deduct some points for fish kicking," Iruka added smiling. Replacing his hand in his pockets Shikamaru turned to Kiba throwing him a smug look that read "Ha! Shut you up!" He then did an about face and disappeared just like Sasuke had done.

Kiba just stared as Shikamaru vanished. "Son of a bi--"

"Hey, easy on the language," Ino said shoving Kiba. "This story is rated teen."

Kiba stared at her bouncing chest then looked up at the sky. "Yeah, for teens. Riiiiight."

"And just what's that supposed to mean?" Ino asked raising an eyebrow. She had missed him ogling her. Naruto on the other hand saw Kiba and what his perverted eyes saw. He blushed but turned his head trying to hide it.

"Nothing…absolutely nothing," Kiba muttered shaking his head.

Before Ino could question any further a loud rumbling filled the area and Naruto fell flat on his rear. "Oh my God…I'm so hungry!" He whined rubbing his gut.

Ino looked at Naruto with disgust…then her expression became soft as she gazed into his cerulean blue eyes. He really did have some astonishingly blue eyes. 'Wait, why am I thinking about that?' she shook her head free of these thoughts, though her cheeks were a light shade of red.

Naruto gazed at Ino wondering why she was staring at him like that. 'Is she blushing at me? What is the matter with her?' He thought as his stomach lurched as if attempting to eat itself.

Ino remembered that she had brought a pop-tart with her for lunchtime. She checked her watch and noticed it was at 12 o'clock. "Master Iruka…may we take a break? It's lunch time."

Iruka looked surprised. Apparently he had forgotten about the time as well and looked rather flustered. He checked the band around his arm and went wide-eyed. "Whoa…um, okay. I assume all of you have brought your lunches?" Everyone raised their hands except Naruto who hung his head. "Good God, Naruto. Well, let's hope some of your classmates share theirs with you. Don't get your hopes up, though," Iruka said checking how much money he had. "Listen class, I'll be right back. Take a break, eat lunch, and thank Ino that you're getting' this R&R time 'cause none of us even bothered to check the time. Consider this a picnic of the sorts. Now behave." With that he leapt into the trees and was soon hopping from branch to branch until he was out of sight.

After everyone graciously thanked Ino they plopped down on the ground and began pulling food from their pockets. They broke into at least five groups of people sitting in a circle. Naruto flopped down with his stomach aching joining the one consisting of Sakura (naturally), Ino, Kiba, a fat porker named Akimichi Choji who's constantly stuffing his face, a shy little blue haired girl with ear tails named Hyuga Hinata, and some dude dubbed Aburame Shino who was best friends with Kiba.

Choji was as tall as Naruto and greatly wider than him. He had painted little swirls of red on his cheeks and had an earring in each ear. He wore a scarf to conceal his lack of a neck. He wore a green short-sleeved shirt with bandages wrapped from his elbows to his hands. The piece of scarf hanging in front of him had a tattoo on it that meant "Food". He wore brown trousers and amazingly his legs weren't fat or lacking of muscle; they were instead built. Like Kiba never without his dog, Akamaru, Choji was never without his food and snacks. He pulled out at least 50 different types of food.

Hinata could be described as a world-class spaz. The wholes of her eyes were a creepy white that Naruto tried to avoid which was hard as she kept trying to make him look at her. She had a major crush on him but Naruto, who only had eyes for Sakura, was oblivious to that fact. She wore nothing worth mentioning beside a hoody kind of like the one Kiba wears, except hers didn't have a zipper. She was always seen twiddling her fingers and gazing at Naruto from afar, never going near him and crushing from a distance. She wasn't bad looking or nothing like that, it was just that she's so shy and quiet and she never shows off what little sex appeal she does have unlike Ino and Sakura who would go around naked for Sasuke if he asked.

Shino was the silent type, much like Sasuke but he wasn't cold or nothing, just that there was no one he liked to talk to besides Kiba. He also wore a jacket like Hinata and Kiba except the neck of it comes up covering the mouth and nose leaving only his eyes which you couldn't see either because of the black shades he wore.

Naruto looked at everyone chowing down on their food which made him even hungrier. He tried humming in his mind but that couldn't block out the slurping sounds of one enjoying their food. "Shit…why didn't I bring some toast of something? Oh God…"

Ino opened her packet of pop-tarts and, even though she hadn't eaten breakfast, handed one over to Naruto. "Here…" she said not meeting his curious gaze. She knew if she saw his eyes she wouldn't want to look away. He graciously accepted her food and shoved it whole into his mouth and began chewing with a look of satisfaction on his face. 'Ugh, what is with me? Why do I feel like this? I can't be starting to fall for this loud…idiotic…troublesome…perfect little angel could I? No, I've got to concentrate on Sasuke. But…he doesn't show much interest in me…' Without even noticing and lost in her own thoughts she was staring at Naruto and blushing.

Naruto swallowed what was in his mouth and sighed. He happened to see Ino gazing at him with red cheeks. He figured she was hot or something. "Uh, Ino? Are you all right?" He scooted over to her and felt her head. She nearly melted at his soft touch. His hands were so smooth it sort've intrigued her.

Kiba saw this and snorted into his soup. "Oh Naruto is gonna get it now," he mumbled as soup leaked out of his nose. "Ouch."

"None can touch her…except her wanna be boy toy, Sasuke," Choji said piling chips into his cheeks like a squirrel or something.

To everyone's surprise Ino blushed harder as Naruto bent down to check her eyes. They stared eye to eye until Sakura cleared her throat making them both jump.

Shino ate his crackers and cheese watching Kiba as he laughed. "I don't believe it! Ino! I thought Sasuke was your--oof!" Ino had crawled towards him punching him in the back of the head making his head connect with his bowl of soup. "Oww! What the hell did I say? Damn, That hurt ya know!"

"Never bad mouth Sasuke in my presence." Ino said sitting back down in her original spot once again picking up her pop-tart.

Kiba sat rubbing his head and wiping away noodles. "Damn…that was my lunch…and I didn't even get a chance to freaking finish it…thanks to a certain purple wearing bim--"

"I know how you feel dog man. When I can't finish my food it's like I wanna unleash all hell." Naruto interrupted. He then stretched out on his stomach watching everyone else eat. "Oh, thanks Ino for the grub. Chocolate Chip pop-tarts are my favorite."

"Yeah." She chuckled nervously while nibbling on the crust of her food. "They're, um, my favorite too." Naruto gave a thumbs up that made Ino flush and look away at the couple of fish leaping out of the water.

Sakura noticed extremely quick that Ino blushed whenever she looked at Naruto. What was going on with her? **_'Isn't it obvious? She likes him!'_** Inner Sakura said nodding her head eagerly. 'What? What in the hell could she possibly see in that psycho of a brat?' Sakura thought frowning slightly.

'**_What in the hell do you see in Sasuke?' _**Inner Sakura asked folding her arms. 'I see everything I want in a man…he's cool, strong, brave…' Sakura answered thinking about all of Sasuke's good traits. **_'He's also cold, unforgiving, a total dick at times especially towards Naruto, and he has this constant infatuation over his brother Itachi,'_** replied inner Sakura counting off his bad faults on her fingers. **_'Ino is smart. At least she can realize when a person has no romantic feelings for you whatsoever. In other words…she's moved on. Maybe you should do the same. It's not healthy to be head over heels in love with someone who hardly knows you exist, ya know.'_**

'Oh shut-up. Sometimes Naruto needs a good telling off. And first of all, who asked you anyway?' **_'I don't need asking…I'm your conscious. I'm just saying, you should at least try to find somebody else 'cause I hate to say this but Sasuke…he's nothing but a spoiled brat who thinks everyone is beneath him and that everyone and everything is a waste of time.'_** Sakura couldn't argue there, Sasuke did sometimes treat people as inferior beings, especially Naruto.

'**_And, I'm pretty sure you don't wanna lose Naruto to Ino if you do give up on Sasuke,'_** Inner Sakura continued wagging a finger. 'But…if I give up Sasuke and go after Naruto won't that make me easy or a tramp or something along those lines?' **_'Not if the person you like is a complete asshole and couldn't give a rats ass about you.'_** Now that she thought about it Sasuke never did pay any attention to her, the only thing he did was wave to her, big whoop. Smacking her fist into her palm Sakura made up her mind.

She wasn't gonna go with Naruto, just use him to get Sasuke jealous. Sasuke was the type to get jealous real quick. She hoped this would unearth some hidden feelings for her. And she already had a big lead in the chase for Naruto, she knew how madly in love with her he was and planned to use her feminine wiles to hook him.

She snapped out of her conversation with her inner self and shook her head. She turned this way and that in search of Naruto. Then her vision disappeared and all she saw was black. Her hand automatically grasped a kunai knife from the pouch on her right thigh. Before she could do anything a voice from behind shouted, "Guess who?"

She sighed realizing it was Naruto**_. 'Okay Sakura. Be nice…even if you are just using him for your own sick and twisted pleasures,'_** Inner Sakura said shaking her head. "Um, lemme see, by the sound of the voice I'd have to say…Naruto?"

"Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!" Naruto took his original spot between Sakura and Ino. "The grand prize is a kiss on the lips!" He said pointing to her mouth.

Sakura cringed but put on a false smile. 'God! Anything but that!' She thought. With the corners of her mouth twitching she said in what she hoped was a cheery tone and not at all like the nausea she was feeling, "Fine. Time to take my prize." She slowly leaned forward to the surprise of everyone in the circle. She wanted to tell them that it was all a ruse. She wanted to slap Naruto for even thinking she would do that. She wanted to cry. But she didn't do any of these thing. Sasuke was the primary objective in this scenario. She had to be brave.

Ino put a hand to her chest as she felt a pull at her heartstring. Sakura was actually letting Naruto kiss her? She couldn't understand why she cared in the first place but…but something wasn't right about this. No, there had to be some sort of secret behind it. That's definitely not like Sakura. Ino had to remember her training. Shinobi look for the secrets inside the secrets. She gasped as it became clear what Sakura was doing. 'That's it!' Ino thought with her eyes widening. 'She's gonna use him to get back at Sasuke and make him jealous! Not a bad plan but still wrong! I can't Believe Sakura would stoop so low to get noticed. Naruto's gonna be crushed when he finds out.' She knew what she had to do; she had to stop them. At the last moment she pulled herself back with emotions running through her; emotions unlike any she had ever felt, except towards Sasuke. Could it be? Was she really in love with that loud mouthed brat? 'What should I do? What should I do? What's it to me if they kiss?' She thought. The answer came to her even before she asked the question. 'I've gotta stop this but how?'

Sakura shivered as she felt Naruto's breath against her lips. 'Omigod! I always pictured this would happen with Sasuke not ugh-zilla! Jeez…but I have to do this. It's not like this is a real kiss or anything…just my first.' They were closer as Naruto closed his eyes. Glee was running through his mind. He never imagined this day would actually come and was practically resisting the urge to leap on her now. 'Why does he look so serious about this? Doesn't he know this is only for pretend? Oh right, of course he wouldn't. If he did he'd never agree to it. Anything that involved Sasuke he wanted no part of. Damn!' Not wanting to blow her cover, look like a complete ass and lose Naruto and everyone's trust she puckered her lips and started humming one of her favorite Green Day songs.

To be Continued


	2. Naruto VS Gaara: Kyuubi Awakens

A/N: Had to change a few chapters to fix my timeline sequence of events.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto or its characters.

Chapter 2: Naruto VS Gaara: Kyuubi awakens!

Naruto's lips connected with Sakura's. He never knew a girl's lips were so warm and soft, like flower petals. He heard gasps echo all around him. He didn't know why they were surprised; after all she had agreed to it. Without even realizing it he was soon laying on his back with Sakura still on top of him. She pressed her body up against his eliminating the space between them as they continued their long awaited kiss. He wanted it to go on forever. Then, as quickly as it had come it was over. She lifted her face away from his to gaze down at him. She smiled seeing his lips still puckered.

"God that was too quick" He said opening his eyes. The first face he saw was Ino's. She was still leaned over him smiling. It suddenly made sense to why everyone had gasped. Well, almost everyone; Kiba had given his trademark wolf whistle. He looked past her to Sakura who was looking just as wide-eyed and confused as he was. "I-Ino? What…what the fudge are you do-doing?" He choked feeling his lips and staring wildly from her to Sakura who had gone slightly pink.

That question seemed to have struck Ino by surprise. In truth she didn't know why she had done what she did. Was it out of jealousy to get him before Sakura or to stop her from falsely kissing him? Either way she couldn't explain the kissing part, about why she taken Sakura's place. She just stared at him realizing all too late how this must look to the others. She was on top of him after all. It was then she realized that that was her very first from a boy. She also realized how deeply in love with Naruto she was. She could deny it no longer. Her lust for him had reached its climax. And it only increased more as she stared into his confused blue oculus'. "Naruto…Naruto I…" She couldn't spit it out. She shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes. Now she was confused. 'Why am I about to cry?' she thought sniffling. Then the answer hit her like a ton of bricks. 'Oh yeah…sure, I admit I have feelings for him and want to be with him but…I just know Sakura is gonna ask him when I do and it's pretty obvious what his answer will be considering his love for her.'

'Idiot! Sakura you were too slow!' Inner Sakura yelled pulling out clumps of hair. 'She beat you to him! Dammit! And it's all your fault! Who in the hell takes like thirty minutes to lean into a kiss?' Sakura wasn't even listening. She too was crying. Her hands were in her lap as she watched Naruto and Ino hug. It wasn't so much that she had gotten to him first but the fact that she was actually about to go through with it just to play Naruto, date him, get Sasuke's attention, then dump him. Her inner self was right that…she was obsessed over that raven-haired beauty. So infatuated with him that she was willing to break someone else to get what she wanted. That's not normal to be that hooked on one person.

As they watched the scene unfold three genins walked through the woods. They were Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten. All of them had already passed the final exam one year ago but were held back from the chunin exams to become stronger. They often joined Naruto's class for lunch seeing as their class got out earlier. They joined a group close to Naruto's, unpacked their lunches, and started eating.

Kiba stared at Ino who had started crying over Naruto. "Dude…what in the hell am I seeing? Ino actually kissed that…that doofus? And…she's crying."

Shino shrugged half-heartedly as he watched on, hiding his eagerness for this little show to continue. "This is certainly…interesting."

Choji, however, was giving his full and undivided attention to Kiba's dog. 'That dog would go great on a skewer with some hot sauce…' he thought chewing on his forty-fifth bag of Doritos: cool ranch.

Naruto reached up catching one of Ino's tears on the tip of his finger. "Hey…hey, please don't cry. Please?"

'Great…now he's being nice to me,' Ino thought crying harder.

Sitting up determined to stop her Naruto wrapped his arms around her embracing her. He put his head on her shoulder as she hugged him back. "Ino…please stop crying. I can't stand to see people cry. It makes me wanna start crying too," he said feeling her body shiver against his.

She squeezed his orange jumpsuit and cried into his shoulder. "Naruto…I…I love…"

Naruto furrowed his brow in concentration as he said, "What? What do you love?" He had no clue about what she was going to say.

Ino rolled her eyes and smirked slightly. 'I forgot…this is Naruto we're talking about here. Unless you put it specifically he won't get it." She smiled as it was that right there that made Naruto so irresistibly cute.

Kiba happened to glance over at Sakura who was knee deep in her own tears. "Hey, Sakura? Are you okay?" That question didn't register with her as she slowly crawled towards Naruto and Ino on all fours. As she passed Kiba went red in the face from gazing at her ass. "Whoa…. Big."

Shino shook his head. "You are such…a pervert."

"Hey! Can I help it if she wags it right in front of my face? No, I can't. I wish I could control where her ass went but I can't," Kiba said as Akamaru gave a low howl. "Akamaru! Where the hell did you learn such language?" Shino had an inkling but decided against saying it. "Boy, if I'm a pervert then you're like king perv."

"What did he say?" Shino asked watching as Sakura tapped Naruto on the shoulder.

Kiba blushed even harder. "You're…you're better off not knowing. Hell, I didn't even need to hear that," he added with a shudder.

"Yo? Oh hey, Sakura? Need something?" Naruto asked releasing Ino who was taken aback. He turned to Sakura like an obedient dog.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something when a Kunai knife landed right where her hand had been just a few seconds ago. She jumped falling over into Kiba's arms while Naruto grabbed it out the ground looking up into the trees.

All the students ceased their conversations with one another to gaze at the newcomers. One of them, the one with the huge sand gourd on his back, was hanging upside down on a tree branch while the other one stood on top of the branch the other dude was on. The one with the gourd had short dark red hair in tufts and red eyes outlined in black eye liner. His eyes were narrow giving the impression his eyes were closed. He had on a black shirt and black cargo pants. A tattoo above his left eye said, love. The one on the ground was wearing orange baggy pants that covered his feet. He wore a tucked in blue shirt that had 'scarecrow' on it. A black hood that had cat ears covered his hair. There was a bundle of wrapping on his back with a big patch of hair sticking out of the top.

Naruto stood up followed by everyone. "Who are you?" He yelled tossing the kunai back at the one with the sand gourd on his back.

The sand in the air made a protective shield around him making the kunai stick in it. "Was that supposed to be an attack?" He asked. His voice was cold and dark. There wasn't an ounce of humanity in it.

Shino whipped off his shades revealing his dirty brown eyes. "That sand…it reeks of blood," he gasped shivering slightly. Naruto put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Hey, calm down Shino…start shivering if we have to fight this weirdo," Naruto said nodding his head in the strangers direction.

With a soft whooshing noise the one hanging upside down vanished making the entire class look around. "Hello, there." Naruto turned around only to be gripped by the throat and lifted off the ground by a hand made of sand. "Well, well, well, what do you know? I never thought those stories I heard long ago were true," the sand dude said looking Naruto over while he struggled to free himself.

Kiba pulled out two stars and threw them while the sand man's back was turned. The sand in the gourd exploded once again creating a protective shield that caught the weapons. "Wh-what? It had no effect..."

"I don't know why you thought it would." He tightened his grip on Naruto's throat making him choke. "C'mon…release it…so I can test my power on the nine-tailed--"

"Gaara!" Neji yelled standing up. "What the hell are you doing here, in Konoha? According to Konoha's contract with Suna's; your ninja's aren't permitted to cross the border without proper authorization. State your business!"

Gaara turned his head towards Neji and dug into his pockets pulling out three passports. "It's rude to interrupt someone ya know," he said grinning evilly. "And anyway, it should be obvious why we're here. To participate in whatever they have planned. It takes place somewhere in Konoha."

"Let me…go, dick!" Naruto yelled struggling to get free. He tried kicking Gaara in the family jewels but the sand gourd kept creating a shield around Naruto's kicks.

Gaara intensified his strangle hold making a drop of blood squeeze from the corner of Naruto's mouth. "Unleash it!"

Losing consciousness Naruto squeaked, "Unleash what? What the h-hell are you-you talking about!" Naruto knew what he was talking about, he wanted him to unleash Kyuubi. He was determined not to say it like Iruka-sensei ordered, lest he have everyone hate him.

"Bring out the Kyu…!" He took a step back as a kunai came whizzing at him and Naruto slicing the sand hand and releasing Naruto. He hit the ground clutching his throat and coughing. Gaara looked up into the tree above. "Hn…saved by the teacher."

Iruka jumped down lightly landing on his feet. In his left hand was a bowl of ramen, which he handed to Naruto. Behind him stood a very pale Shikamaru; he couldn't stop shivering. Under his other arm was a body. "Here…"

Naruto was on the verge tears as he bowed to his sensei. As he prepared to gorge himself he stopped to looked over at Ino whose stomach gave a low growl. She blushed as he stared at her. Sighing, he thought, 'Jeez. She did share her pop-tart with me…plus it sounds like she didn't eat breakfast today.' He could tell how hungry a person was by the sound of their stomach noises. Ignoring his own hunger he pushed the ramen bowl towards her.

Ino was very surprised by this act considering Naruto never gave anyone his ramen. "Naruto…no, I couldn't…it's yours."

Resisting the urge to snatch it back and say, Suit yourself, he merely shook his head. His nose perked as the smell of the ramen hit him. Shrimp flavor! 'My favorite,' he thought as drool swam into his mouth.

Ino hesitated then gratefully began eating while throwing glances at Naruto. "Thank you."

"Yeah, no problem," He said. 'Damn, I'm hungry!' He thought.

Shikamaru sat down as Iruka laid the body under his arm in Naruto's circle ignoring the gasps that erupted from everybody. "Sasuke!" Sakura yelled cradling his head in her lap. 'Serves his ass right,' Inner Sakura mumbled. Sasuke had obviously taken quite a beating. A savage one at that; one that had knocked him unconscious. He had cuts and bruises all over his body. His clothes were ripped and his breathing was restricted. A blood-leaking hole about the size of a baseball looked as though it had been carved into his side. Sakura noticed this and several blotches of sand mixed into his cuts. She looked up at the one named Gaara and screamed, "What did you do to him? What?" 'Yeah, they really did a number on this dude. Hn, keep up the good work guys!' Inner Sakura boomed giving Gaara and the others a thumbs up.

Turning his icy gaze to her Gaara said, "I didn't do anything, I just caught him when he fell…Kankoru, on the other hand…well, you know."

The one with the bundle of wrappings on his back stepped up next to Gaara with a superior smile on his face. "What's up? The scarecrow hadn't had any exercise for awhile so when fresh meat came along who was I to deny him? Sasuke made an excellent plaything."

Sakura leapt to her feet pulling out a kunai knife. Iruka saw this beforehand and grabbed her around the waist pulling her back. "Calm down, Sakura. Sasuke's gonna be fine, he just took a much needed beat-down," Iruka said to the stifled snorts of Naruto. "Calm down, you should thank Shikamaru for Sasuke's life. He jumped in and took Sasuke and came looking for me."

Sakura looked at Iruka then at Shikamaru who was muttering nonstop to himself. She got him in a big hug and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you…thank you so much Shikamaru," she said smiling through the tears that had congregated in the corners of her eyes.

"Yeah…whatever," Shikamaru said. His mind was in another place. It was still in the fight as he had watched Sasuke get the crap beat out of him.

Ino looked at Sasuke and found she didn't feel mad or sorry for him. She did feel pity for him though. Her feelings for him had long since evaporated.

Iruka returned his attention to Gaara and Kankoru. "If it's just the two of you, why do you have three passes?"

"Oh…that. She's comin'," Kankoru said pointing over his shoulder. "She's just slow as hell." He stumbled forward letting out a cry of pain as a rock collided with his head. "Ow! Damn, that smarts."

"Who did you say was slow?" A girl yelled appearing beside him.

"Do you get off on hitting Kankoru, Temari?" Gaara asked eyeing the girl.

Temari blushed. "Of course not! What kind of question is that?"

Gaara shrugged turning back to Naruto. "Just wondering, you hit him almost all the time and when you do you blush so I was just wondering…. Now back to important matters."

"What important matters? What are you looking at me for?" Naruto yelled. 'Why is it everywhere I go people always give me those stony looks? What did I do to deserve them? Even if I do have this damn fox inside of me it's not like I wanted this thing to be here,' He thought snarling.

"It's amazing how the you can't know already…" Gaara said shaking his head. He caught Iruka's warning face. "However…it's not my business to tell you. But, if the people who care for you can't tell you then…that's just pitiful."

"And who are you to say that, freak?" Naruto shouted feeling his anger rise. He was going to play stupid with Gaara to make him think he didn't know.

A gleam hit Hinata straight in the eye making her clutch her face in pain. After a few seconds her sight returned and she noticed that all three of the newcomers had forehead protectors. The symbol on the bands signified that they were from the land of sand. "Hey…you there with the tattoo. You're from the village of those-who-hide-in-sand, right?"

Everybody looked at Hinata with astonishment. She almost never talked…at least never talked to anyone except Naruto. Without looking at her Gaara said, "Yes. Need something?"

"How is it that you have…a headband when we don't? I thought that the lands had the finals set up to be held at the same time?" she said.

"Yeah…what the hell's that all about?" Kiba asked as Shikamaru gave a twitch.

"That's a simple question to answer," Gaara stated. "You live in a slow village."

That comment caused several of Naruto's classmates to rise. Neji, Lee, and Tenten remained seated as they had already graduated and saw no insult in what he said. Some grabbed stars and others just growled. Apparently they were offended. Iruka raised his hand. The students did nothing at first then begrudgingly sat down. Shikamaru had never stood.

"Hey…what's wrong with you Shikamaru?" Kiba wondered glaring daggers at Gaara.

"Nothing…"

"Bullshit. Tell me or I'll sic Akamaru on you."

Shikamaru forced a nervous chuckle. "Well…I don't know why you guys stood up. We wouldn't have had a chance against them anyway…especially all three of them."

Kiba snorted and said, "There's like, what, twenty of us and three of them."

Not feeling like arguing any farther Shikamaru fell silent and allowed what he had just seen them do to Sasuke play over in his mind.

"Our finals were two days ago. We're all genin," Gaara said. He eyed each and every student as if daring him or her to charge him or say something smart. "I can't help it if we're more advanced than you."

Iruka turned to his students and sighed. "The part about our land being behind…uh…that was partially true." Several students grunted and continued leering at Gaara. "But for good reason. Lord Hokage was out at the time doing an A-rank mission with some subordinates and wasn't here to authorize the finals. He apologizes that you didn't graduate sooner."

Gaara smirked. "He said it nicely."

Shaking his head Iruka continued. "They're sending students from all lands: Konoha, Suna, Ame, Kusa, Taki, and Oto to compete in this event." He stopped to look at Gaara then to Naruto. He could sense the same hate emanating from them as he did when Naruto and Sasuke locked eyes. "And because of the many parents coming from all over to encourage their kids…" he paused. He really didn't want to have said that, knowing how Naruto felt but it was mandatory for the next part. So, he tried to block out the crestfallen look Naruto had on his face. "…Our hotels are gonna be booked so Konoha students try not to pick fights with your rivals and…please be on your best behavior."

A kid with shiny black hair in a bowl cut with thick eyebrows wearing a green leotard said, "Aren't we always?"

"No Lee, especially you Naruto. You screw anything up and I'll see to it that you're banned from the competition," Iruka said, his eyes glinting in his favorite pupils direction.

"Why say that only to me? How do you know anyone else will do the right thing? What about Kiba? A week ago he let Akamaru bite some woman!" Naruto protested flinging an accusing finger towards Kiba.

"Hey! Mind your own business, idiot! That woman had it coming when she tried to have him locked in the pound!" Kiba said defensively.

Pouting and feeling thoroughly outnumbered in the argument Naruto fell silent staring up into the sky with his arms crossed.

After rubbing his eyes Iruka said in a weary tone, "The rest of the students should be arriving later today." He checked his watch. "Hmm, already two, eh? Damn, okay! That's it for today! Everyone passes! Meet at the school at nine!" 'I'll just have to save Naruto's special exercise for the Finals,' Iruka thought with a smile.

Naruto raised his hand in an eager way. "Ooh! Oh! Sensei, pick me!"

"…Yes, Naruto?"

"Can we have your permission to beat the shit out of some of the ones who cross into our village?" Naruto asked rolling up his orange sleeves. The sight of Gaara on the ground in agony was already racing through his mind. He grinned.

Iruka gave this serious thought. "What do you think idiot?" Iruka yelled giving Naruto his look that said I can't believe you'd ask such an obvious question.

"Well, let me rephrase it for ya," Naruto said putting a hand to his chin. He was trying to pick the right choice of words. "I meant ta say, can we…ya know, play fight? Pleaze!"

Iruka sighed then turned to look at Gaara who had closed his eyes. "Yeah, whatever…but if you're hurt or anything like that don't bring your crying butt over to me! And just play fighting."

Naruto grinned mischievously as his eyes met Gaara's. "Yeah…playful fighting…sure."

Nodding Iruka vanished in a puff of smoke. Naruto stood up stretching while keeping eye contact with Gaara. He then looked at Sasuke's lump of a body and growled. "I may not like the moron but…I'm the only one who can wail on his ass!" Gaara said nothing. His eyes spoke for him. They sent the message to Naruto to come on then. "Oh, I'll come all right."

A very naughty image of Naruto doing what he just said floated into Ino's mind. She blushed to the extreme and giggled to herself.

Kankoru found him a nice patch of grass to sit down on followed by Temari. "This should be real quick."

"I don't know," Temari whispered in a concerned tone, "he does have that fox thing inside of him."

Everyone watched as Naruto approached Gaara. "Hey, baka, if you happen to, ya know…bite the big one, can I be your second?" Kiba asked licking his claws. "I wanna kick his ass too."

Naruto laughed. "There won't be any ass left to kick once I'm through with it."

"So, Neji, what do you think? Does he have a shot?" Lee asked sitting up so he could get a better view of the fight.

"We might have a chance but…I've always sensed this weird chakra from Naruto that he's never used. That might give him an edge if he can harness it and use it. Even though, Gaara…that dude is extremely powerful. I don't even think my evil eye could have any effect in seeing his moves," Neji said using his evil eye to see through the redheaded girl in his way.

Gaara folded his arms. "I'll only need two limbs for this battle," he stated grinning at Naruto through his narrowed eyes.

"Grrrrr…up yours bastard!"

He charged swinging his fist; his trademark way of starting a fight. The sand on the ground and in the air created a shield that caught Naruto's fist. "What?"

"Hyah!" Gaara shoved his leg into Naruto's side sending him crashing into a tree.

Ino groaned as he hit the ground only to bounce back up. "Look…his nose, it's broken."

Naruto had blood leaking from his nostrils onto his jumpsuit staining it. "Aw, damn you! This is my favorite jumpsuit! Argh!"

"That was your only jumpsuit," Kiba coughed into his hands.

"Up yours butt-munch." Shaking off the pain in his head he rushed Gaara again.

"Hn, this again? You're more simpleminded than I thought," Gaara yawned preparing to block. He was surprised when Naruto leapt into the air making some hand seals.

"Art of the doppelganger! Solid form!" Naruto yelled. In an instant Naruto split into nine others.

"What kind of art is this?" Gaara asked as ten Naruto's soon surrounded him.

"Clean out ya ears! I said doppelganger!" All the Naruto's yelled.

"Fine…if that's the way you want it, I guess I'll have to kill them to find the real Naruto." Gaara held out his hand. "Sand Tomb!" The light breeze in the area became a strong gust whipping the sand on the ground into the air. Long nailed groping sand hands erupted from the ground slithering and crawling its way up Naruto. With a wave of sand he became encased in a sepulcher of sand. Gaara raised his hand lifting Naruto into the air. "Good-bye," Gaara whispered flexing his fingers.

Naruto looked down at the others. "H-help me…!"

"No one can help you now." Gaara squeezed his fist and the tomb exploded sending sand in all directions. People beneath the sand threw up their arms in protection. Before the sand hit the ground it was already shooting back into the gourd on Gaara's back.

Everyone eyed the clones of Naruto as they gazed into the sky. They weren't sure if that had been the real Naruto or not. They sighed with relief when the Naruto's smirked and turned their attention to Gaara. "Heh. My, my, vicious today aren't we? That could've killed us! You out for blood Gaara?"

"Smell my sand…I think the answer to that is quite apparent," Gaara said. He narrowed his eyes trying to figure out which one of them was the real Naruto. "I'm just glad this isn't turning out to be a cakewalk."

"You're bluffing," One of the Naruto's said.

"We shall see…"

Before he could do anything all the Naruto's held their hands out in front of them using the other to make the sign of the tiger. Electricity began gathering between their fingertips. A ball of white lightning formed in their palms.

Sakura's eyes lit up. "How…is he doing that?" She yelled watching as all the Naruto's concentrated.

"Amazing…the things you can learn from reading the secret manuscript," replied the Naruto's.

Everybody gasped at this bit of information. But before anyone could ask how he had accomplished such a feat all the clones thrust their hands toward Gaara who remained motionless. "Lightening Strike!" The balls of lightening zoomed towards Gaara who flared his eyes. A sphere of protective sand engulfed him. "Nice try!" the Naruto's yelled. They used their hands to control where the balls went. "You won't be able to block 'em all, Gaara! Here it comes!" They picked a spot and one right after another the balls tried piercing through the same area of sand. 'C'mon, break…break!' They thought watching anxiously. After the second to last ball made contact the sand barrier fell leaving Gaara vulnerable. "Here's my chance!" On of the Naruto's pulled out a kunai knife flinging it after the last ball of lightening.

With a yell of anguish the lightening ball made contact with his stomach blasting him back smashing through two trees. The sand gourd on his back burst open creating a soft cushion of sand to land on. He stood up precariously only to be speared in the chest by the kunai. "Aaah!" He grasped it tightly and pulled resisting the urge to scream again. With a sickening squishing sound it came out covered in blood. 'My chakra must be out of whack. My sand should've blocked that." He winced as blood leaked out of the slit in his clothes. "Okay…that tears it…I'm gonna make him unleash Kyuubi then I'm gonna kill it and him."

"Gaara!" Temari yelled standing up. She whipped out one of her homemade healing potions. Kankoru however, remained sitting. He grabbed her by the back of her pants snatching her down. "Ow! Why you pervert! You did that on purpose so you could feel my ass didn't you?" She yelled going a deep shade of scarlet.

"Partly that and the fact he would practically kill you for coming to his aid," Kankoru said closing his eyes with a grin. "He's just toying around with the brat; giving him false hope if you will."

"Yeah, whatever you pervert…" Temari said blushing.

"Sticks and stone's, Temari...sticks and stones," Kankoru mumbled.

"I wish I had some sticks and stones," she murmured.

"Man…Naruto just kicked Gaara's ass!" Lee exclaimed grinning.

Neji shook his head. "This is only the beginning. It would take a lot more than a simple lightening attack and a kunai to defeat Gaara, let alone kill him."

Lee laughed. "I don't see you performing any lightening seals."

"The reason behind that partially is because I didn't sneak and read the secret scroll!"

"You had enough Gaara?" The clones asked smiling at what they had accomplished. "Just call it quits.

"Call it quits, eh? Far from it," Gaara said raising a hand. The sand gourd on his back exploded once again but this time covered him with sand. With a rush of wind he and the sand disappeared. Before the Naruto's could ask he appeared right in the middle of the group with his eyes closed. "I haven't got time for games…I want the real Naruto now."

"Whoa…that dude is mad strong. All that and he's still moving like the wind," Kiba muttered as Sasuke sat up. "Oh-ho, you're awake. You missed on hell of a battle start."

Sasuke ignored that put a hand to his side then jerked in pain. "Agh…I feel like crap."

"Ya look like crap too," Kiba commented grinning.

"Thanks dog-man." Sasuke winced as he clutched a cut over his stomach.

Kiba growled. "Don't call me dog-man! I hate it enough when the idiot calls me that…but coming from you makes me wanna-ow!"

Sakura and Ino had hit him over the head making Akamaru leap into his lap. "Naruto's not an idiot…he just has his moments," Ino said coming to Naruto's defense.

"Sasuke's hurt enough without you and your stupid insults," Sakura said growing red in the face.

"Jeez, back-off already!" Kiba yelled rubbing his aching head. Akamaru reached up licking him on the cheek. "That's like the fifth time today I've been hit over the freaking head.

"Maybe if you didn't say things deserving a smack you wouldn't be hit," Sakura said hotly.

Sasuke looked around in search of Naruto. He saw him with the spook from sand right in the middle of his doppelgangers. "Naruto!"

"I'm sick of these clones," Gaara muttered raising both fists into the air. "I wanna fight the real Naruto!" With a 'tham' he brought his hands crashing down into the ground. At once a circle of sand rose up blowing all the Naruto's away. All the clones smashed into trees with a bone crushing thud. Clouds of white dust emanated all over the place as all the clones disappeared.

"Where's the real Naruto?" Lee wondered looking around.

Tenten, a girl in Lee's and Neji's group pointed up into a tree. "There he is!"

Everyone followed her finger and there was Naruto, looking bedraggled. He sat on a branch struggling to regain his breath. He had cuts like Sasuke but none of his were serious. His right eye had a cut above it and was constantly leaking blood into it making him blink and cringe in pain. It matched perfectly with his busted nose. He had an exhausted look on his face as he shouted, "Nice trick there…but I'm still standing!" In the back of his mind he made a mental note to slug Tenten later for giving away his position. He needed rest.

Sasuke tried to stand but the puncture in his side made that impossible. "Damn them! Damn them to hell!" Sakura tried to lay him back down but he shoved her away. "Naruto…ouch…he won't stand a chance. I need to help…him," he whispered grunting and screwing up his face in pain.

"Sasuke…don't worry. Naruto's doing fine," Hinata said blushing at her bravery for saying that.

"Wha!" Losing his placing Naruto fell and collided with the ground with a resounding 'thud'. Everyone groaned as he struggled to get up. 'Damn…I just about used up all of my chakra pulling off that doppelganger thing. Shit, if what Gaara says is true and I do have some sort of hidden power inside of me I wish it would come the hell out already before…before I really do die! C'mon Kyuubi!' Then he thought about it. 'I guess dying wouldn't be so bad…its not like I have anyone here who actually cares for me, besides Iruka.' Ino immediately flashed into his mind. 'No…she doesn't care about me either. All she has eyes for is Sasuke. But…I refuse to go out without a fight!' He thought standing up. "C'mon Gaara! If you want me come and get me!" He yelled balling up his fists once again.

"Should we jump in?" Tenten asked looking worriedly at Neji.

Shaking his head while looking at Naruto's determined face. "No…he plans on fighting to the death if need be," he said scanning Naruto with his evil eye.

"I really don't like this. Even if he is a loudmouthed little brat I feel we should help him," Lee said cracking his knuckles.

"I know, Lee…I feel the same way."

Gaara smiled at Naruto's eagerness to continue their fight. "Fine, fox-boy. Here I come!" With breakneck speed Gaara ran at Naruto swinging his foot tripping him. "Sand combo!" Before Naruto could hit the ground Gaara kicked him into the air then quickly made some hand seals. He vanished reappearing in the air with Naruto. "Ha!" His fist became covered in sand, which he used to punch Naruto dead in the face sending him rocketing towards the soil once again. Gaara made some more hand seals and appeared on the ground in the spot where Naruto would land. "Huuagh!" He pounded the ground with his fists creating his sand circle. Not having a chance to hit the dirt Naruto was thrown straight into the lake crashing through it's surface and sinking into its depths.

His classmates surrounded the lake on all sides peering into it. Ino squinted trying to see through the murkiness but it was no use.

"C'mon Naruto, you can do it," Neji said firmly as his evil eye searched for his chakra signature. "I don't feel a thing…damn, this isn't looking so good."

"I told you we should've helped!" Lee exclaimed wishing he had just followed his gut instinct instead of listening to Neji.

Kiba flung Akamaru into the water. "Bark woof-woof snarl bark!" Translation: Go find Naruto! Akamaru doggie-paddled to the spot where Naruto disappeared and dived under. Everyone watched with baited breath as bubbles rose to the surface from where Naruto was thrown. With a splash Akamaru surfaced making several students jump back. He then waddled his way over to Kiba jumping into his outstretched arms. After drying him off with his sleeves he barked at Akamaru ignoring the strange looks he was receiving. "Hey! He says there's a huge power coming up fast!"

No sooner had those words left his lips Naruto leapt from the water, went flipping through the air, and landed perfectly on front of Gaara who was sporting a huge grin as his eyes widened. "Finally…it hasn't come out fully but a sample's better than nothing."

The three cat lines on Naruto's cheeks had grown bushier and more refined. His eyes had become cat-like slits of burning red. The nails on his hands had grown longer and sharper. His fangs were bared and gleamed in the afternoon sun. The wounds over his body had already begun to heal themselves. The zipper had broken on his jacket revealing the blue undershirt he was wearing. The parka ruffled lightly in the breeze. A low growl escaped his throat as he narrowed his eyes at Gaara.

Neji had broken out in a sweat. "What is this…this immense chakra emanating from him? It's powerful but…it reeks of death and evil!"

"Is t-that even Naruto?" Ino asked putting a hand to her mouth.

Kiba nodded slowly. "It has to be him…no one else in the village is stupid enough to wear an orange jumpsuit. Fashion victim."

Resisting the urge to hit Kiba Ino just looked Naruto up and down. "He…looks so different…and his chakra level is off the charts! I've never felt anything like it…"

Lee stood up tightening his fists. "Neji…I'm going to help him." He took one step only to have Tenten reach out a hand, grab his ankle, and pull it back tripping him. He hit the ground on his hands and knees. "What was that for?" He asked turning around to face her.

Neji talked instead of her. He grinned nervously which clashed with the fear his face showed. "Lee…trust me on this one. He doesn't need anyone's help." After saying that Neji flopped down to sit Indian style and watch the rest of the fight.

TBC

There ya have it., yes it's a cliffhanger, but this was a good stopping point for the chapter. The action in the last chapter might have been a little slow but I think I made up for it in this one. PLEASE R&R.. See you in the third chapter…hopefully.


	3. Kyuubi!

A/N: Had to edit a few chapters to fix my timeline sequence

Please see previous chapters for warnings

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

Beta'd by DarkMisstical

Chapter 3: Kyuubi!

With an almighty roar Naruto sent a shockwave that tore up the ground Gaara's way. "Ha!" Leaping out of the way Gaara landed on a tree branch overlooking Naruto.

"How the…?" Kiba just stared at the scorched earth. Akamaru whimpered and dug into his jacket shivering as if scared. "Akamaru?" 'Man, Naruto's scared him completely quote, unquote 'shitless'.

"I feel like I might soak my panties," Hinata said quivering. "I've never seen Naruto like this."

Kiba turned to stare at her blushing with a crazy look on his face. "Can we try to keep some things behind closed doors, Hinata, god," he said looking her up and down.

"Seriously," Shikamaru said.

"What's happened…ouch, to Naruto?" Sasuke wondered wincing in pain. He eyed the fox-boy through his only working eye. "He's different."

"You catch on quick," Shikamaru muttered watching Naruto. He hid the fear he was feeling extremely well.

"Raaaaa!" Naruto took off towards the tree with his eyes trained on Gaara. Once he reached the base instead of stopping he ran straight up the side. Catching Gaara off guard by the fact that he had just ran up a tree, he was able to punch him straight in the jaw with a loud crack that sent him flying into the ground.

"Since when could he climb trees?" Shino wondered watching as Naruto landed on the branch Gaara was just on.

"Ain't that the question?" Kiba agreed. "When we had tree climbing lessons no one could get good footing except for…" He stopped to turn his head in Sakura's direction. "…Little Miss chakra control, here."

Sakura ignored him as her attention was on Naruto, as was everyone else's.

"It must be that explosion of Chakra…" Neji said in utter amazement.

Gaara went skidding across the ground until he hit a tree. "Ack!" He choked on the blood that had filled his mouth. He stood up only to be uppercutted in the chin by Naruto. He smashed into a limb overhead and started to fall when his sand gourd exploded wrapping itself around the topmost branch. Gaara slowly opened his eyes to see Naruto running once again up the tree towards him. "Get back…sand needles!" As he stood sideways on the wood he made some quick hand signs. Naruto's fist was barely an inch from Gaara's face when he blown away by a rush of spiky barbs that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. As he fell, he used his sharp talons to grip the tree trunk to slow his descent. He hit the ground as Gaara hopped down. "So…this…is the power of…the nine-tailed fox demon." He said this in a low whisper determined not to be heard.

Naruto jumped into the air raising a fist and punched into the ground disappearing in a cloud of dust. Gaara looked around panic-stricken. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes trying to feel out Naruto's intense chakra. 'Where are you fox-boy?' He thought. His eyes snapped open as he realized what was happening. His sand acted on it's own shielding him when Naruto burst from under the ground. The speed of the punch got through Gaara's shield as he socked him in the cheek. The pain was minimized because of the shield as Gaara was knocked back a few meters.

"What in the world…? Was that some sort of earth technique?" Kiba wondered pointing, mouth agape.

No one answered, as they didn't want to take their attention away from the battle ensuing before them.

"Sure…ignore me."

Gaara wiped the corner of his mouth clear of blood. "Eiiyaaah!" He rose his hand and sand just exploded under Naruto's feet sending him into the air. Unlike other times, Naruto landed on his hands and knees growling at Gaara who raised his hand for a second time. Naruto, sensing the same thing, shoved his hand deep into the ground and pushed off hard propelling himself sideways in a spin. He skidded to a halt soon after. "Ha!" Gaara threw a ball of sand that turned into a shuriken at Naruto. Reaching out a hand Naruto easily caught it; what he didn't catch was the second hidden in the first ones blind spot. It hit him square in the chest knocking him back into a tree. Naruto fell to his knees shooting daggers at Gaara.

"Hey, that was the Shadow Shuriken technique," Sakura pointed out.

"Thanks for the update teacher," Kiba said rolling his eyes.

"Best keep that in mind Kiba…it might be on the test," Shino said.

"Aren't you supposed to be on my side, Shino?"

"I calls 'em like I sees 'em."

"Sell-out," Kiba whispered.

Both were pretty much plum tuckered out but Gaara wasn't even about to summon Shukaku for something as small as this. At any rate he was saving it for when Nine-tails escaped completely, which was highly unlikely.

Naruto stared at Gaara flexing his nails. He clenched his jaw and tightened his fist as he charged once again. "Raaaaaaaahhh!" With a sort of bang everything dimmed. The sun seemed to have gone under an eclipse. The air became extremely cold as the temperature dropped. Several students whimpered while some huddled together to share body heat.

"What…what is this?" Ino wondered. Her breath came out in icy puffs. "How did the temperature drop so quickly?"

"Screw the temperature! What's up with the sun! It's gone red!" Shikamaru yelled.

"Neji…I don't suppose you know…?" Lee started looking at him.

"I haven't the foggiest about what's going on," Neji said before shivering.

Tenten scooted between both boys bringing them closer together so she get some of their body heat. "Ahh…that's the spot."

"I'm so glad you're getting warm. Siphoning off our heat to warm yourself. Happy to be h-helpful," Neji said as his teeth started chattering.

"Thanks," she said.

"And she doesn't notice the sarcasm," Lee smirked shivering.

Naruto touched Gaara right in the chest making him freeze. "I…I can't m-move," he muttered struggling against the bonds that held him.

Grinning Naruto unleashed a most deadly combo. He gashed Gaara on every inch of his body he could reach sending pieces of clothes and blood in all directions. He rounded that off by kneeing him right in the chin, then delivered a hard punch to the gut that made him fall to his hands and knees. He then bent low kicking Gaara right in the chest sending him reeling back. Before he crashed into a tree his gourd exploded softening his collision.

Right after that everything became brighter. The temperature returned to its original place. Everything returned to normal.

"Dude…that was…I dunno what the hell that was but it was brutal!" Kiba said. He never dreamed that Naruto, the idiotic hyperactive little dunce, was capable of such savageness.

"Whatever…it takes to win," Sasuke moaned wincing.

Ino was at a lost for words. She couldn't explain Naruto's sudden burst of energy or cruelty. 'What's wrong with you Naruto?' She thought sadly.

Gaara's vision was blurry and Shukaku was begging for release. 'No! Not yet damn it! Stay inside of me where you belong! I've already suffered because of you! No! I'll handle this on my own.' Shukaku settled down considerably and Gaara stood up breathing hard. He only had one more option left. The only thing that could possibly kill or severely damage the nine tailed fox demon while in that form. "Desert coffin!" He held out his hand and once again scary looking sand hands wrapped themselves around a thrashing Naruto.

"No! Naruto!" Sakura yelled as she watched him get lifted into the air for the second time.

Temari watched in awe. In the back of her head she never had any faith that Gaara would be able to get Naruto in his patented Sand Tomb. "He…he did it," she muttered staring bug-eyed.

"Was there any doubt in your mind?" Kankoru asked opening one eye to stare at her. "I told you he was just messing with him. Once you get inside that thing you ain't coming out…alive at least. Of course, never having been in there I couldn't tell you how it feels."

"I'm not sure I'd want to know," Temari said twitching as she thought of being inside that thing. She thanked God that she was on Gaara's side.

"Dieee!" Gaara yelled squeezing his hand. The tomb exploded with Naruto in it. Sand and blood flew everywhere covering several students. Naruto fell hard to the ground on his back with a dull thump. Cuts and slits were abundant all over his body through the gashes in his clothes.

"Naruto!" Ino shrieked. She got to her feet and rushed to his side dropping onto her knees. "Naruto? C'mon…wake up…please." As she said this a little voice in the back of her head was already saying he was dead. "No…he can't be…Naruto…" She put a hand to his face. "He's so cold. This…this isn't a hallucination, is it?" Not being able to hold in her tears any longer she threw herself over his body and started crying.

Sakura, who was very close to tears herself made her way over to Ino sitting down and running a hand through Naruto's hair. "Ino…you just broke rule twenty-five of the Shinobi conduct…"

Ino sat up rubbing her eyes but for all it did she should have just done nothing. Her tears splashed against Naruto's cheek. "And…what rule was that?" She asked shakily.

"No matter…what happens, true Shinobi must never show their…emotions. Th-the mission at heart is the only priority. Carry that in your he-heart and never…never shed a tear." By the time she finished she too was sobbing.

Sasuke and the others gazed on looking past the girls to Naruto's motionless body. It was if all the air had been sucked out of everyone.

"He can't…" Sasuke muttered more to himself than anyone. Even after all his accusations of him despising Naruto he had actually grown quite fond of him. He was seriously regretting not having been a better friend in the past. He was sure Naruto would only remember the bad times they had together. And despise him even in the great beyond. 'If I…If I could get another chance…things would be different. Naruto…I'm sorry,' he thought squeezing his eyes shut.

Lee stared with his mouth agape. His voice had temporarily failed him so that all he uttered were small squeaks. Neji just closed his eyes. He gripped his trembling arm as Naruto's death played over in his mind. 'Damn it!' He thought pounding the ground. His fist went deep into the dirt. 'We should've helped! Shit!'

Akamaru whimpered solemnly while Kiba looked away gritting his teeth. "That…bastard," he grumbled.

Hinata looked as though she had been shot straight through the heart. She added to that theory by clutching her chest. Naruto's limp body reflected in her white eyes.

'_Lub-dup…. Am I…? Could I…? Ino and…Sakura! Why are they crying? Could it be I did…something wrong?' _Naruto opened his eyes turning his head to smile at the girls to the bewilderment of everyone; even Gaara backed up with a scowl on his face. 'Damn…I must need to train more.' Gaara thought, 'It must've been that damn fox!'

"Ino…your arm is heavy," Naruto breathed. Ino straightened up as though shocked by electricity.

Kankoru sat up staring in disbelief as Naruto gave a weak smile. "I…but…No one could've survived that."

"I told you it was the fox side!" Temari shouted slapping him over the head.

Ino and Sakura looked at him then to each other. Then they rubbed their eyes trying to rid themselves of this illusion. After that they looked again and saw Naruto blinking and grinning at them. "Oh Naruto!" They yelled in unison while gripping him in a death-lock hug.

"Ooooh! Ino! Sakura! You're killing me!" Naruto yelled feeling his body erupt in pain. It was as if he was being cleaved in two.

They let go of him saying sorry as red seeped into their cheeks. 'Thank God…he's alive,' they thought with a heartfelt sigh.

Naruto got wobbly to his feet with his arms hanging limply at his side turning his attention to Gaara who was growling. "Ha! Your so-called sand thingy didn't have any effect on me! Take your sorry ass back to Suna and give back that forehead protector! You don't deserve one for being so weak!"

At this statement Gaara charged taking Naruto's initiative and swinging his fist. Not only was he mad that his Desert Coffin had failed but felt the sting for the first time that his sand had let him down. It never occurred to him that the demon inside of Naruto had anything to do with it. Not wanting to involve the girls Naruto took off ignoring the pounding pain all over his body. As they got closer, Naruto made the sign of the doppelganger. He sidestepped Gaara's punch and kicked him in the jaw sending him into the air. Then in a puff of smoke another Naruto appeared in front of Gaara and kicked him again sending him higher as the original Naruto was assisted up into a nearby tree by a doppelganger. Another Naruto appeared after the first one and punched Gaara even higher into the air. That's when the real Naruto emerged from the top of the tree leaping high into the air to meet Gaara.

"How in the hell…?" Sasuke started. The rest of his words were gargled in his throat.

"Take this!" Throwing his heart and soul into this last strike he punched Gaara right in the face with a nose-crushing crack. As Gaara spiraled through the foliage towards the ground, Naruto did the sign of the doppelganger one last time as he yelled, "Paybacks a bitch ain't it!"

A Naruto clone appeared under Gaara. He let him hit the ground, bounce once, and then gripped him by the neck. The real Naruto landed on his feet next to his clone. His body jerked horribly as pain shot up and down his legs. "Oh…crap!"

"Here ya go, boss," the clone said handing him Gaara before disappearing.

Naruto nodded and took Gaara by the throat. "Ya know, I could kill you now…but, I'm gonna wait until the competition to humiliate you in front of everyone and not just my friends."

"That's very nice and all…but, you'd just be embarrassing yourself," said a drawling voice from behind him.

The Gaara he held by the neck melted into sand. "What!" Naruto yelled. He turned around just as the sand at his feet surrounded him yet again in another attempt at a Desert coffin. He spotted Gaara in the tree he had climbed as he was lifted into the air. He was standing on a branch leaning against the tree with his chest heaving. There was a huge bruise on his face and his nose was crooked and leaking blood. He had a grin on his face, an empty grin, but a grin all the same. "You're not the only one who can make doppelgangers, brat," he panted.

"Not this crap again!" Kiba yelled.

"Now do we help?" Lee wondered throwing a quick glance at Neji. "Do you really wanna chance another stall and have him die for real?"

Neji used his evil eye to scan Naruto as he became level with Gaara. "Lee…that isn't Naruto."

"What are you talking about?" Lee asked looking Naruto up and down. "Looks like him to me. Same yellow blonde hair, same cat lines on his cheeks, and that same stupid orange jumpsuit."

"Lee, you're hardly one to talk," Tenten said pointing at his green leotard.

"What! My outfit is still in style!" Lee protested patting his chest.

"Yeah style…like the 1970's," Tenten replied rolling her eyes.

Lee grinned. It fascinated him how every time they got into an argument he could never win. "Your words are so sharp. If I try to answer back I'll cut myself," he said hanging his head for what seemed like the millionth time.

Ignoring his friends squabble Neji gasped as it suddenly became clear as to what was happening. "Hey…hey! Listen guys, Naruto's about to…" He went on explaining it to them.

Ino stared in horror as Gaara held out his hand. "Gaara! I won't let you get away with this!" She whipped out a kunai and stood up. To her surprise Sakura was standing right beside her. She had a maniacal grin on her face as if she were rushing into certain death and she was trembling but nodded at Ino who nodded back.

Neji spotted this in a heartbeat, but before he could stop them they were already on their way towards Gaara. However, before they could get close Naruto appeared behind Gaara on the same branch with a kunai pressed against his neck.

The girls skidded to a halt as Naruto gave them the peace sign with a grin. "That was pretty slick of you Gaara…making a sand doppelganger when you disappeared inside the tree. I anticipated this and made a doppelganger of my own to meet yours. Then it was only a matter of waiting for you to show your handsome face," Naruto said pressing the kunai up against his flesh. "And if I see you make a hand seal or if you even blink wrong I'm gonna slit your throat. Now maybe you'll take my advice to heart and just turn in your forehead protector."

Ino clapped her hands together as she stared at Naruto. He seemed to glow in the sun and the wind ruffling his clothes was a nice touch. 'Omigod! He looks so hot like that!' She thought blushing as a very naughty picture entered her mind showing him and her in a very suggestive position. 'Ah, I shouldn't be thinking that but…I can't help it!' She gave a small squeak of ecstasy that made Sakura jump and give her a peculiar look. 'He is so fine!'

Neji just smiled and nodded. "Just as I thought…"

"Good call Neji," Tenten said.

Lee gave Neji a curious look. 'I wonder how it feels to be able to see through things to its hidden complexities? What if he's used it to see through girls clothing! Oh, that mega pervert!' Lee thought with a slight grin.

"No way!" Kiba exclaimed in disbelief. "That idiot actually made a plan and succeeded in it!"

Shikamaru just shook his head smirking. "Even fools have their moments…I guess."

Sasuke was just relieved that Naruto was alive. 'Okay, that was a heart-stopper! From now on…I'm gonna be his friend, someone he can depend on, so that next time I won't just be sitting here on my broken down ass watching. This will help me to grow stronger so I can defeat…him.' He frowned as his brother Itachi swam into his mind paralyzing him with his gleaming red sharingan eyes. 'Dammit! Even when he's not around I still get chills.'

Gaara just chuckled to himself.

"What's so funny?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"You. You actually think you've won this," Gaara laughed.

"Well, I am the one holding the kunai here." For good measure he pressed it harder against Gaara letting him know he meant business.

"Ha! Go ahead then. If you have the balls to do it, do it. Slit my throat…kill me," Gaara said crossing his arms. The sand tomb released Naruto's doppelganger only to have it disappear in a cloud of dust.

"You'd best not push me. You caused me enough hell without your smart mouthing," Naruto said determined to keep things on his tide and not Gaara's.

"I knew it! You still can't kill anybody," Gaara said as his laughing turned dark and evil. "By the age of six I had already killed my first victim…"

Naruto couldn't hide the shock that had displayed itself on his face. The hand that held the kunai started trembling.

Gaara spotted this and knew what he had said took it's effect on him. In the blink of an eye he had ducked from under Naruto's would-be death threat and kneed him in the gut making him lose his footing and fall to the ground landing on his back. "Gaack!" Blood erupted from his mouth as he groaned in pain.

Instead of jumping down after him Gaara hopped from one tree to another then finally landed before his friends. He turned around to face the others. "Kankoru, Temari, that's enough for right now." His friends got to their feet as Gaara rose a hand in the air. At once they were surrounded by sand and disappeared. "I will back to finish this…" His voice seemed to echo all over the place.

"Ah, son of a…I can't stand cowards!" Kiba growled. "Just cause things were going Naruto's way he decides to punk out and run."

With the help of Ino and Sakura Naruto made his way back to the group. He sat down tenderly seeing as how his ass was stinging. His spine felt like it had been twisted and contorted, wrung out of shape even.

"Good job, Naruto," Hinata said giving him a hug. Any excuse she could get to touch him never passed her by. She blushed as squeezed him. She never noticed he had such a nice smell. (that was a major compliment seeing as how Naruto lived in that smelly crapshack of a home)

"Thanks Hinata…" Naruto said groaning in pain from the hug. Nevertheless he enjoyed it. 'Now Sasuke will say something about how my performance was all wrong or something like that.'

To his surprise, everyone's surprise, Sasuke extended an arm towards Naruto nodding his approvement of how the battle ensued. Naruto raised his eyebrow at Sasuke thinking this had to be a trick, or a prank if nothing else. He sniffed his hand, looked it all over and checked up under his sleeve before deciding it was safe.

"Was…all that really necessary?" He wondered as Naruto heartily shook his hand.

"Just checking…huh?" He perked his nose sniffing the air.

Sakura looked at Ino who shrugged. "Uh, Naruto? What are you doing?"

"Sniff…I…sniff-sniff…smell ramen," He muttered moving across the ground like a hound dog looking for a fox.

Beads of sweat formed on everyone's forehead. Thinking Naruto had changed was a misconception. Like Shikamaru said, even idiots have their moments. He was still the same loudmouth stomach with legs.

His nose brought him to the bowl of ramen Ino had failed to finish. Naruto took this as an insult, not to the fact that he had given it to her and she hadn't finished it but because she left a bowl of ramen unattended. That should be punishable by law in his perspective.

He scooped up the bowl and Ino's chopsticks (his were broken, Choji ate them thinking they were chocolate pocky), and scooped up a whole bunch of noodles. With a slurp he began eating.

Kiba's cheeks bulged but he swallowed whatever had entered his mouth. "That's gross…he's eating after you Ino!" Kiba said pointing this out to her even though she was perfectly capable of seeing for herself.

No one else saw this as disgusting. They saw it as Naruto being extremely hungry. Still, Ino had to retort to that comment. "Kiba, you ain't got no room to talk! I've seen you sharing bowls of dog food and water with Akamaru all the time. You even play with the same chew toys! So Naruto eating my food with my chopsticks is small lemons compared to you and Akamaru!"

Kiba went red in the face as everyone else sniggered uncontrollably. Akamaru growled at Ino from within the safe confines of Kiba's jacket; he wasn't stupid enough to do it out in the open where he could get smacked. "Stupid loudmouthed bimbo…"

"What? What did you call me!" Ino yelled with her eyes catching fire. "You seriously do not wanna mess with me right now!"

"A'ight, sheesh! Chill out," Kiba said grinning at the fact that he had gotten to her.

"There's still one thing that puzzles me…" Naruto said.

"What's that?"

"When I was fighting Gaara. I know this sounds crazy but for some reason it felt like he wasn't trying to kill me," Naruto said. He realized how stupid this sounded, sounding like he was complaining for winning.

"Are you screwy in the brain? …Never mind, I think we all know the answer to that question," Shikamaru said ignoring the glare Ino sent his way. "Anyway…I think he made it pretty clear and straight forward that he hated your guts and wanted nothing more than to jumprope with your intestines."

"Eww. Nasty much," Sakura said shivering.

"Okay, Shikamaru, I forbid you to see anymore scary movies," Kiba said pointing at him.

"Yeah, I know he said it but still, he said something about killing what was inside of me. Whatever the hell that meant. And I can't shake the feeling that there's a nice person under all that…all that--"

"Blood infused sand that he got from slaughtering tons of people without mercy?" Shino said making Kiba leap in shock. He had forgotten Shino was still here.

"Yeah…exactly. Maybe he and I can be friends," Naruto said smiling to himself at this thought.

"After this little beat down you handed each other, I doubt there's any friendship left to give," Sasuke said.

"Hey! I got a question!" Kiba yelled turning to look at Naruto. "How in the hell could you make doppelgangers here but a few weeks ago in class all you could generate were crappy shadowy figures?"

"Well, first off, that was a few weeks ago before I found out," Naruto said grinning in spite of himself.

"Hm? Before you found out what?" Sakura asked. Everyone had quieted down to hear the answer.

"You can graduate early!" Naruto said scratching the back of his head.

"Whaaaat!" All the students glowered at him. "Why in the hell hadn't you told us!" They yelled.

Naruto shrunk in size as he looked around at all the angry faces. It was amazing that the people who were inches from killing were the same ones worrying about him a couple of hours ago. "Well, you're parents knew and the reason they didn't tell you was because they wanted you to get as much knowledge as needed and wait for the scheduled exam instead of doing it as soon as possible. That way you'd be suited to face the courses. My parents on the other hand…" He broke off not wanting to finish his sentence. Everyone's faces softened as they realized that Naruto was his own guardian so he was obliged to know.

Sasuke knew how Naruto felt. His entire clan was destroyed so he could sympathize with what he was dealing with. He too knew about graduating early but decided against so he could learn all that he could so he could have a better chance at defeating…him. 'We're alike in many ways,' he thought.

"Anyway, I tried to graduate early failed and this guy named Mizuki told me of a secret scroll that held some techniques in it. He said if I could master some of the methods in it Iruka-sensei would have to let me pass. So I did and that's what I learned," Naruto finished. He left out the part about the betrayal, the attempted murder, and the discovering of a rather disturbing secret.

"It's amazing how you could sneak into the Hokage's house and steal the scroll," Ino said in a dreamy voice.

"Oh that, I used the sexy jutsu on him. Fell for it just like everyone else," Naruto said laughing.

Everyone laughed with him. They had all seen the sexy jutsu performed and knew what he said was true.

"I doubt even I could withstand that vulgar display," Sasuke said chuckling through his pain as Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten joined their group. "What's up, Hyuga?"

"Not much Uchiha," Neji said turning his attention to Naruto.

"Why do you guys call each other by your last name?" Lee asked. He sensed some heavy hostility between the two.

"Oh that, because Neji's being a complete dope. He's had this stick up his ass ever since I beat him in a sparring match," Sasuke groaned feeling his side twinge. "Oh and Sakura, thanks for closing my wound and the soldier pill. I feel much better…"

Sakura blushed and said, "You're welcome, Sasuke."

"Kiss up!" Ino coughed glaring at Sakura.

"Naruto lover!" Sakura coughed.

"You did not win that fight," Neji said staring at Naruto with mild interest as he slurped the contents of his bowl. "I have more pressing matters to discuss than you and your blatant hallucinations…"

"…Dope," Sasuke muttered.

"Sigh…anyway, Sasuke, do tell…how did you get so damn banged up by those spooks from sand, huh?" Neji asked smiling. He was supposed to be talking to Naruto about that power that had exploded from him earlier but he thought what the heck, I wanna here this anyway.

"I don't think anyone wants to know about that," said Sasuke praying no one would say different. No such luck however.

The only person who didn't want to know was Shikamaru because he had already seen it.

"Yeah Sasuke…how'd you get that chunk of meat carved out of your side?" Naruto asked grinning. His curiosity was peaked and Sasuke, knowing first hand how annoying he could be, knew he wouldn't get a day's rest until he told him. Naruto would hound him and follow him everywhere, even in the bathroom if need be.

Before answering Sasuke threw a murderous look at Neji. "Fine…if you wanna know I'll tell you, baka." 

To be continued…

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please read and review to let me know how I'm doing.


	4. Sasuke's Memories!

Please see previous chapters for warnings

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto or its characters.

Beta'd by Darkmisstical

Chapter 4: Sasuke's Memories!

Summary: Sasuke relives what happened to him during his battle with Gaara and his crew. What could they have done to knock him unconscious?

Flashback 

Sasuke walked through the forest muttering to himself. (yes, he talks to himself sometimes. It's perfectly normal! Isn't it…?)

'That task was too simple…we need to move onto something harder like climbing trees. I never could get the hang of that. I gotta ask Sakura how she did it, maybe she can help.' His stomach gave a lurch and he then found himself thinking about lunch. 'Damn…I'm starving. Once I get home it's gonna be ramen…wait ramen? I'm beginning to sound like Naruto. That's creepy.'

Voices started to reach his ears. Voices he had never heard before. He walked on quickening his stride. When it sounded like they were right over the next shrubbery he bent down low crawling beneath the bush. He moved the branches and twigs out of the way and that's when he saw 'em. Those two spooks from Sand, Gaara and Kankuro.

"Must we wait for her?" Kankuro whined. "She's so gotdamn slow it's unbearable!"

"Patience is a virtue," Gaara said. He stood leaning against a tree with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

"Not right now it isn't," he mumbled

"What was that?" Gaara asked opening one eye to stare at his bro.

"Err…nothing Gaara, you must be hearing things," Kankuro said smiling weakly while breaking out into a sweat.

"So…you're calling me deaf, now. Is that it?" Gaara said opening both his crimson eyes. They glinted in Kankuro's direction.

"N-No! Gaara you misunderstand!" Kankuro pleaded wishing he hadn't said anything smart. When he and Gaara got into fights it usually ended with Gaara winning and Kankuro bleeding.

Fortunately before Kankuro could put anymore foot into his mouth a log connected with the back of his head knocking him off his feet to the ground. Gaara stared at Kankuro's twitching body with mild interest then said, while looking at the newcomer, "A log, Temari? That's a bit overkill isn't it?"

"It's what he gets for calling me slow!" she said walking through the thicket of the woods.

Sasuke received the impression that...they were idiots. 'Hn, they remind me of Naruto…' he thought watching.

"Where to now, Gaara?" Temari asked as Kankuro stood up rubbing the back of his head, which had a huge lump. "Serves you right!"

"Yeah, whatever fat-ass…" Kankoru muttered.

Unfortunately, he didn't mutter it low enough. "What are you doing looking at my ass!" Temari yelled going red in the face. She bopped him over the head.

"Ouch…! Well, it's so damn big how can I not notice it?"

As they fought Gaara said, "I swear you two love each other…"

"Eww! Disgusting! We're related!" Temari said shoving Kankuro to the ground.

"Hey! What the hell was that for?" He yelled angrily. He stood up brushing the dirt off his clothes.

"What was what for?"

"Amazing…she wails on me without even noticing it," Kankuro said shaking his head.

It was then that Sasuke got a really good look at them to see that from their those-who-hide-in-sand headbands that they had aspired to the level of genin ninja. 'How could that be? Weren't the lands supposed to be even in the distributing of the forehead protectors? Why do they have theirs when we don't?'

Before he could delve any deeper into the theory Kankuro's eyes glinted in his direction. Sensing that they knew he was there he figured it was no use in hiding anymore. He stood up walking around the bush with a grin on his face.

"Sand ninja's…am I right?" Sasuke asked. "How long did you know I was here?"

"Since you were first stupid enough to hide under that bush," Kankuro said grabbing the bundle of wrappings on his back and turning to Gaara. "C'mon man, it hasn't had any exercise and this little pipsqueak here hasn't even graduated so he should be easy pickings…right now at any rate."

Gaara opened his eyes slightly. "I'd rethink that Kankuro. This is Uchiha Sasuke, the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan."

Sasuke didn't even bother explaining his ass of a brother. In truth he didn't really feel like talking about the person who invaded his dreams night after night turning them instantly into nightmares.

"Like I care." Kankuro put the bundle in front of him.

'What the hell could be in there?' Sasuke wondered staring at the human sized package. He frowned slightly at the fact that all he wanted to do was go home and eat a big fat bowl of ramen. "Damn."

Kankuro pulled one strand of wrapping and the whole thing fell off revealing his technique. The **Kugutsu no Jutsu.** It was a puppet about his size with a shabby brown cloth slung over it's body like a ripped up poncho. It had a bushel full of brown hair and two cookie-monster googly eyes for eyeballs. As it moved it made loud creaking noses. "Man, it is super rusty. This should loosen it up."

Temari shuddered. "God, I hate when he brings that damn thing out. It should be locked up forever."

"It feels the same way about you." As Kankuro said this, his fingers glowed as strings made of chakra trailed to the puppet. "Let's see here…dang, it's been so long I almost don't know how to control it."

"Yeah, imagine that seeing as how you use every chance you get," Gaara said as sand rose under his feet lifting him onto a nearby tree. Temari grabbed a low hanging branch and climbed her way up.

"Go easy on the Uchiha," Temari said blushing.

"Can't you go for five minutes without falling for some guy? That kinda crap isn't needed in a shinobi lifestyle; that can get you killed. You make me want to kill you so someone else can't," Gaara sighed flashing his eyes in her direction.

Temari shivered as she thought, 'Jeez! He's mean to his own damn sister! I wonder…if he'd really…nah, he wouldn't. We're the only family he has left.'

Sasuke smirked and kicked a pebble that smacked the doll right between the eyes. It's head shot back then flung forwards like a jack-in-the-box. Kankuro merely chuckled as the 'crow zoomed towards Sasuke with such speed he didn't have time to dodge. Kankuro flipped two of his fingers and the 'crow started jabbing at every inch of him he could reach knocking him back. It finished by throwing a kunai. Sasuke hit the dirt and the weapon stuck to the tree behind him.

'Hn…it's obvious that the fag with the cat ears is in control of the puppet using those strings of chakra. So I gotta take him out first,' he thought standing up and grabbing a throwing star from his pouch.

He readied himself for the next attack. The puppet held one of it's hands behind its back. 'This is it!' With a blinding flash of light it threw a purple ball at Sasuke who had thrown up his arms to shield his eyes. He removed his arm only to get hit directly in the face by the projectile. In a puff of smoke a log had taken Sasuke's place. It melted instantly.

"Hm, the art of substitution, eh? Well used," Kankuro said while shaking his head. "But futile none the less."

Gaara slightly opened his eyes aiming them at a certain tree but remained silent. 'Hmph! If Kankuro can't sense where that Uchiha is far be it from me to tell him where. Not like I care if he gets killed.'

Sasuke leapt from his hiding spot landing on the puppet's head. He jumped away as it swatted at him and threw the shuriken at the back of its neck making it slump over. Then he started running at Kankuro grabbing a kunai from his pouch. "You're mine!"

"Sorry, but I don't swing that way," Kankuro said calmly. "I'd rather bone my sister than--" The rest of his words were gargled as Temari leapt down punching him dead in the face. "Aheh heh, ya know, never mind."

As Sasuke got closer Kankuro gave his hands a tug and the puppet came swooping beneath Sasuke knocking him off his feet. It then whirled around and, using it's bushy head, vollyballed him into the air. Following Sasuke it started spinning at high velocities knocking him everywhere with it's wooden hands. As Sasuke fell, Kankuro flicked his middle finger and the puppet caught the kunai Sasuke dropped flinging it back in the direction it came from. Sasuke gave a howl of pain as it made contact lodging itself in his body.

"Okay Kankuro, that's enough, right? You are going to let him live, right?" Temari asked watching Sasuke plummet to the ground. She cringed at the line of blood seeping from the slit in Sasuke's body

"There's some debate to that," Kankuro grinned. "I feel the lesson hasn't sunken in yet."

"What lesson! All you did was beat the tar out of him!" Temari screeched.

"Ah, but there is a lesson to be learned. Never rush into a fight when it's one against three. Especially three people who have ascended to the level of genin no less. That's the most important right there."

Gaara held out his hand and sand materialized under Sasuke lowering him to the ground. "Wouldn't want to end the battle so quickly…at least without him getting a few licks in," he said closing his eyes.

Panting and twitching from the pain Sasuke found his body was so thrashed that he couldn't make contact with his legs to get up. "Huff…son of a-damn. This isn't looking so good."

"So good? Dude, I could kill you if I wanted. This is beyond 'so good'," Kankuro said chuckling. "Oh, lemme see if I can still pull off this trick. Haven't done it in so long."

Temari sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. "Kankuro, why the hell do you keep saying you haven't used that filthy rag doll in like forever? You use the damn thing every chance you get! It's only been about two days since your last kill!"

"Hey! Two days is like an eternity for me!" Kankuro said outraged. "Sometimes I worry about you."

"I know the feeling…" Temari muttered.

Kankuro walked over to Sasuke kneeling down beside his jerking body. He grasped the kunai yanking it out forcefully relishing Sasuke's yells. "So, this is the famous Uchiha…the sole survivor of that massacre. Hmph, so not the drama. No wonder your family died. If you're this weak I'd hate to have seen you back then."

With a jerk Sasuke brought his knee up nailing Kankuro in the neck making blood dribble over his bottom lip. He stumbled backwards as Sasuke flipped up and rushed him. "You bitch!" He delivered a barrage of fist flurries to the gut then back-kicked him straight into the dirt.

Sasuke gasped as Kankuro stood up almost immediately wiping the blood away from his mouth. Nary a scratch was on him. The part that made him tense up was the fact that he was smiling. "What was that supposed to be? I hope that wasn't you're best shot!" He flicked three of his fingers and the scarecrow threw another purple ball. Sasuke got hit full in the back because his attention was on Kankuro. He didn't melt in a gelatinous puddle of blood and bones but his skin flashed a sickly green then returned to its original color. He fell to his knees clutching his heart.

"What…what have you done to me?" He gasped gripping the ground in pain.

Temari came up beside Kankuro staring down at the trembling Sasuke. "Yeah…what did you do to him?"

"Injected him with a blood sucking poison. There's a virus moving through his veins sucking up all that lovely red fluid. I can then take this blood and transfer it to the puppet so he can use an opponents move against him…or her," Kankuro said staring at Sasuke as he writhed in pain.

"Aauggh!" Sasuke gripped his head in agony as his veins started showing themselves on his skin.

"Stop it Kankuro!" Temari shouted.

"Not yet…more blood is needed," he replied watching Sasuke. "Heh…his torment is like going to the movies for me. Wish I had some popcorn."

"Fools…" Gaara muttered.

Sasuke's screams echoed throughout the woods making several birds take flight. He twisted and pounded the ground in torment.

Kankuro flared his eyes as he hissed, "That's it!"

Blood erupted from Sasuke's pores making it looks like he had gotten shot by a tommy gun. It melded with the puppet making it twitch but otherwise nothing significant happened. It was then that Shikamaru neared the sight having heard Sasuke's screams. He ducked into a bush watching wide eyed as the bloodied Sasuke scooted away panting fiercely.

'What the hell…? What did they do to him? Why's he so bloody?' he wondered breaking out in a sweat.

Sasuke, with the help of a tree, stood up unsteadily. "You son of a…a…b-bitch."

"Okay, foul-mouth, that earned you smack down. You'd think having your blood sucked out would've shut your trap but no; you keep talking."

Shikamaru stifled his gasp and swallowed the vile that had entered his mouth. 'What the hell did he say? They…they sucked out his blood? How? And more importantly why? Those sick bastards!' Shikamaru thought shaking more with rage than fright.

"Do your worst, cat-man," Sasuke said grinning emptily.

A vein throbbed underneath Kankuro's headband/cat hat. "Puppet go!" He yanked both of his hands back and the marionette zoomed towards Sasuke wrapping the strings of chakra around him then finally latching itself onto him.

Sasuke stared the creature dead in its googly eyes. "You…sure are ugly."

It threw its head back in a silent scream and pressed it's wooden fingers and toes into the pressure points on his back. Sasuke shrieked in pain as he felt a piece of his side part way with the rest of him. Then the doll brought its head forward bashing Sasuke and knocking him out.

Shikamaru bit his tongue and clamped a hand firmly over his mouth. It was all he could do to keep from screaming and rushing out. 'I-I have to get out of here! If they find me…well, that's that! They won't 'cause I ain't givin' 'em a chance!'

Kankuro's voice kept him rooted to the spot. "Well, will ya look at that. He's still alive, thoroughly beat and bleeding but still alive. Amazing."

"Cut the bull. You didn't want to kill him," Gaara said making them both whiz around. He hopped down to the ground. "Let's go. Either you're going to kill him or let him live. Decide before I get restless and kill you."

"Fine, fine! I'll kill him," Kankuro said walking over the unconscious Sasuke and picking him up by his shirt cuff.

Shikamaru grit his teeth as he knew what he had to do. 'Gotta be fleet of foot on this one or not only does he die…I die!' He steadied himself then leapt out of the bushes dashing across the grounds at break-neck speed. He whipped out a kunai as he neared Kankuro who had momentarily frozen. In the blink of an eye Shikamaru had cut the part of shirt Kankuro held, caught Sasuke, and was zipping off through the trees. He was out of sight before they could do anything.

Kankuro shook his head as he came back to his senses. "Okay, what the hell was that all about?"

"My gosh you're stupid. Obviously that was one of Sasuke's friends come to help him," Temari said smiling that Sasuke had gotten away. 'Thank God. Too many cute boys die at the hands of these two.'

Gaara chuckled to himself, which was extremely rare. Kankuro and Temari eyed each other then started laughing nervously. He walked between them heading in the direction Shikamaru had come from with his chuckle becoming a laugh. They stopped laughing immediately as a bleeding gash appeared on Kankuro's cheek. Now Gaara was frowning.

"You said you'd kill him. Then, he got away. I don't like being lied to Kankuro," Gaara said with an icy voice.

Kankuro closed his eyes and started inhaling and exhaling to lower his temper. As much as he cared for his younger brother he sometimes wanted to take that gourd and shove it right up his ass until sand came out his nose. "Sorry…Gaara."

"It's all right. Just, next time, don't say things if you don't mean them."

End Flashback 

TBC

A/N: This chapters a little short, I know. But I hope you like it anyway. Please review.


	5. Broken Promises

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters. But someday I will! Someday! Mwa ha ha ha ha!

Chapter 5: Broken Promises!

Summary: Ino, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto wind up at his house and what's more they agree to a sort of sleepover! But, will this night of delight turn into a night of misery? Read and find out. 

After Sasuke finished silence fell. It was immediately broken by Naruto's shrill laughter. "Boy, that's a shame! Getting your ass handed to you by a puppet!" He laughed clutching his sides. "Ow! Ow! My sides! My sides are on fire! I got a stitch!" He added trying his hardest not to laugh.

Sasuke went slightly pink around the ears. Sakura noticed this and came to his aid by thunking Naruto over the head. She couldn't really think of nothing to say to that seeing as how Naruto squared off against the beast Gaara and actually, sort of won…well, not really. But then again, yeah he did. We'll just call it a tie.

Neji smirked and turned his attention to Naruto. "Hey. I got something I want to ask you. About that eruption of chakra, if anyone knows where that came from it's gotta be you," he said. He raised an eyebrow at how Ino was blushing while eyeing Naruto seductively but shook his head and didn't give it a second thought.

Naruto laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head. 'Oh boy! What do I do? I can't tell them I harbor the power of the nine-tailed fox demon or else…or else…let's not even go there.' As he thought, he happened to notice that the other students had already packed up and were heading home. He needed a diversion to take things off his case onto something else.

Neji noticed what Naruto had and knew he was going to use these to stall for time. Which meant…he knew where he got that chakra! "So, you do know where that chakra came from don't you?"

"Yeah, it's my reserve chakra," Naruto responded quickly. "It comes out in the heat of battle to give me an edge. Yeah, that's it." What Naruto said was halfway true. It wasn't his chakra but then again it was his and some reserve in case he ran out. His attention wondered over to Sakura and Lee. He always did have a short attention span. 'Is it my imagination or is that Lee dude gettin' close to my girl? Nah, no way.'

"Reserve chakra? That is the biggest load of crap I've ever heard. I seriously hope you don't expect me to believe that?" Neji wondered eyeing Naruto suspiciously.

"I ain't askin' ya to believe anything but…that's the way it happened," Naruto said swaying from side to side. His vision was getting blurry. The pain was clouding his thoughts. Everything was starting to slide away into darkness. His eyes closed and he fell over backwards. Everyone surrounded him looking panic-stricken. None looked as scared as Ino.

"Is he…?" She didn't want to say what was running through her mind. She knew it couldn't be true. He had survived one death-blow so surely…?

"Well, the brats still alive…unfortunately," Shikamaru announced after feeling Naruto's pulse. "He just passed out, probably from the pain and exhaustion."

Ino put a hand to her chest as a smile spread across her face. 'Thank God. You idiot! You almost gave me a heart attack!' She thought angrily which clashed with the happiness she was feeling.

'Damn it! That little brat probably made himself faint so I couldn't interrogate him anymore!' Neji thought irritably. 'Son of a bitch! A smart plan but still stupid.'

Kiba stood up and stretched. "Well, I dunno about you guys but I'm a going home. It's late and I'm still hungry seeing as how some purple wearing girl ruined my lun-gack!" Ino nailed him right between the eyes with a rock. He stumbled around in pain until he slipped on something rubbery that felt like a bundle of noodles from his wasted lunch. Next thing he knew his face was stuck between something soft and bouncy. He slowly opened his eyes and gulped as it suddenly dawned on him what he was between. 'Oh shit!' He looked up into the murderous face of Sakura. He jumped up and scooted backwards holding up his hands but that didn't stop Sakura from advancing on him. "Wait! Wait! I-I didn't mean-do you honestly think I-that I would do something like—" A scream burst through his lips.

To Shino it all happened so quick he barely had time to see it. Everyone was standing with Naruto slung over the shoulder of Neji. They were walking away. Kiba was on the ground twitching and sizzling. Shino poked him with a stick. "Yo…you alive or do I need to perform CPR?"

"G-girls…I wish they came with an instruction manual," Kiba groaned.

"Yeah, yeah…just pick up your teeth and let's go," Shino said standing up.

They made it back into the village without any interruptions. Sakura was still blushing from earlier and Ino was constantly throwing Naruto affectionate glances. Neji noticed this and wondered vaguely if she liked him. He once again tossed the idea in the trash remembering she was co-director of the Sasuke fan club.

After stopping at homes it was soon down to only Sakura, Naruto (still unconscious), Sasuke, Ino and Neji who was starting to grow annoyed. "Look, I got to go home too so…" He laid Naruto down. When he stood up his back snapped. "Ah, much better. Anyway, this package here is yours to deal with," He said pointing at Naruto. "See ya." With that he turned on the spot and started walking away. He soon stopped to say, "Hope you guys pass your finals tomorrow. Maybe then, Uchiha, you'll be able to repay a certain debt to someone." He disappeared between two buildings without another word.

"A certain debt? What's he talking about?" Sakura wondered staring at Sasuke.

"Nothing…" Sasuke closed his eyes and grinned. 'Neji, once I become stronger I will do that. I'll get that puppet fag and…Itachi.' He clenched his fist as his brother's gleaming red eyes forced their way into his thoughts. It was him and Itachi standing back to back. Then his brother's misty voice entered his head clouding it. 'Baby Brother, you're pathetic. You can't hope to even try to kill me at this weakened stage you're at, so settle for hating me until you get stronger. Curse me…and live like the frightened weakling you are. Cling to life…and know that, one day, we will fight and you will die!' Sasuke turned around only to have his brother disappear before him. 'I'm not a coward! And you're right! One day we will fight…and I'll avenge my clan and kill you!'

The girls gasped as Sasuke opened his eyes, grinned, then fell over. "Sasuke!"

"Will they ever wake up?" Ino wondered shuffling in her seat. She was bored, restless, hungry, and most importantly cranky from lack of food. A very bad combination. "It's nighttime! Nine at night to be exact! Jesus, I gotta get home."

"Calm down. It's not like we've got anything better to do," Sakura said watching the sight of Naruto and Sasuke bundled up together in the same bed. "They are so cute like that!"

"Shoot, _you _may not have anything better to do but as for me on my immediate list is to eat and take a hot shower. I'm all sweaty!"

"Yeah, you do kinda stink."

"Hey, you're no bed of roses either." She gazed at Naruto and Sasuke sleeping with the occasional twitch of pain. "You know, once they wake up they're gonna freak right?" Ino asked looking over at Sakura.

"Of course I do. There's the beauty in it," she replied smiling devilishly.

They were all inside Naruto's home. Ino and Sakura had put the two beat-down boys in Naruto's bed together. They twisted and turned becoming entangled and putting themselves in very suggestive positions that made Ino and Sakura blush.

"Boy, this place is a hellhole. No, scratch that. A hellhole is an understatement," Sakura stated harshly while looking around. A tingling sensation ran up her arm followed by what felt like eight legs. She turned to look slowly and screamed making Ino fall off her chair.

"What? What is it?" She asked getting up looking around with a kunai in her hand. "Is it Gaara and them!"

"No, worse a roach! Get it off me! Get if off me! Get it off me!" Sakura screeched scratching at her arm in a vain attempt to claw it off.

A fine sheen of sweat appeared on Ino's head as she shook her head in sympathy. "You are such a baby, I swear!" She said throwing the kunai. It hit the roach sticking it to the wall. It continued to squirm and move until it finally croaked.

Sakura was still shivering as she rushed into Naruto's rusty bathroom to wash her arm. Ino just shook her head. Sakura soon returned breathing steadily but still quivering. "Yes, this place is one spectacular dungeon. It's like someone took a hell's kitchen and beat it with an ugly stick twenty or thirty times. We really should've went to Sasuke's house."

Ino stifled her laughter. "No doubt but, we don't know where he lives. But I'm surprised you went into the bathroom. I expected more roaches to be in there."

"Actually, it smells pretty good in there," Sakura said blushing at what her words. "His bathroom isn't like the rest of this place. It's actually clean."

"Yeah, I've noticed that about him too, about his nice smell." Sakura looked over at Ino grinning. Ino raised an eyebrow. "What? Quit staring at me like that. It's creepy," she said blushing. She knew what Sakura was going to say so she braced herself for the worst.

"I just can't believe it, Ino! I never thought that you would fall for Naruto!" Sakura screeched clapping her hands while Ino continued to cringe.

Ino slapped a hand over her mouth with her face a deep brick red. She was seriously regretting having told Sakura that little bit of information. "Sssh! Not so got damn loud big mouth! These walls are paper thin…and it doesn't help that the windows are all busted!"

"Yeah, yeah. If you want me to keep quiet you'll have to pay me," Sakura said with her face changing to that of a cat. "Meeowwrr."

"You're a freak," Ino said blushing harder.

"Are you afraid of letting others know in case they call you an idiot or something?" Sakura wondered taking a serious perspective.

"Of course not!" Ino said. She knew she was lying and she could tell Sakura had an inkling of the truth but thankfully did not push the issue.

"Okay, but really though, what could you possibly see in Naruto?"

"Hn, if that's the approach you're gonna take let's explain together then," Ino said smirking. "Cause I honestly want to know what you see in that raven haired boy."

"Last time I checked, Ino, you liked him too," Sakura retorted.

"Just shut-up and get on with it."

Sakura turned to face her. "Fine Ino-pig."

"Forehead girl."

Before they could begin with their pathetic way of wasting time Naruto sat up with his eyes slightly open like cat slits. He gazed at the still/petrified girls and smirked. "How many cups of sugar does it take to get to the moon?" Sakura looked at Ino who was staring at her. "It's alright if ya don't know…hell, I don't even know. Max said three but that's bull, unless you count each particular grain of-whoops!" As he talked he began to climb out of bed. He slipped over Sasuke and they both toppled to the ground in a jumbled heap.

Naruto was once again snoozing as he lay over Sasuke with his foot in his throat. Sasuke's hand was tightly grasping the bottom of Naruto's pants.

"They're…both idiots," Sakura said grabbing Sasuke's arm. "Jeez…he's flipping heavy."

"You realize we can't win right? I mean, Naruto likes you but I like him and you like Sasuke but he doesn't even know you exist. Kinda like a love triangle of sorts," Ino said picking up Naruto with relative ease. She had him under the arms. "Damn, how much does he weigh? He's light! Like a toothpick!"

"I wouldn't doubt that. He doesn't have any food in his fridge or cabinets," Sakura said sitting on the bed with Sasuke's head on her shoulders. She pushed the hair out of handsome face and gazed lovingly into his eyelids.

"Ya know, I've never really stopped to think about how hard his life must be without parents," Ino said sadly while a smile appeared on Naruto's face. "Hm? What's he smiling about?"

Sakura shrugged.

"Sakura…let me take you to the movies…" Naruto mumbled. Ino became still as Naruto stood up on his own and shambled over to Sakura kneeling down before her. His eyes were closed. Sakura looked from him to Ino who shrugged.

Deep within Ino she was fuming. 'Damn it! Sakura! Sakura! Sakura! He's always about Sakura! God! Does he even notice me?' Ino thought gritting her teeth. Naruto feeling her head for a fever then looking into her eyes immediately ran through her mind. She cooled down a little but was still pissed.

"Don't…worry about money Sakura dear. I…I have plenty," he said standing up wobbly.

"What the hell…? Is he dreaming about taking me to the movies?" Sakura wondered looking puzzled. Ino looked at Sakura as though she were slow.

Naruto waltzed over to the top of his termite-eaten bookshelf and lifted a vase with a wilted flower in it. There was a bundle of money. "See? I have tons of money! I've…been saving it for our date!"

Both Ino and Sakura gasped.

Then Naruto frowned. "What do you mean I should spend this money on buying food and a better home?"

Sakura nodded her head frowning. Naruto was so in love with her he put off eating and better living conditions for her fickle ass. 'He's just like you,' Inner Sakura said crossing her arms. 'No. No way in hell are we alike,' Sakura protested defiantly. 'Yeah. You know, denial is an ugly thing.' 'Oh shut-up you pest.'

Naruto fell to his knees extending his hands pushing the money towards Sakura. "Here. If you won't go out with me, then here. Take this and do whatever you will with it. I understand that you don't like me like I do you but…I can't help who I fall in love with. So take this money and if you ever change your mind come find me again. I'll just start saving again…" Naruto gripped his stomach as a heartbreaking growl was heard. "I'll just…I'll just have to go without food for awhile. Iruka buys me ramen on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I'll…I'll be all right." With that he dumped the money onto her lap. A tear had formed in the corner of his eye. "Just take it…" He fell out on the ground fast asleep as usual.

Naruto and Sasuke were once again in bed with the covers up to their chins. Sakura and Ino hadn't uttered a word to each other since what happened. Both were wrapped up in their own thoughts. Ino had scooped up Naruto's money and placed it back under the vase. They made a pact right then and there to never tell him about this.

"…I can't believe I'm a total bitch in his dreams," Sakura said finally while sitting up in her chair.

"Ain't it. You're not just a bitch, you're _the_ bitch," Ino said coldly. She was still hot over the fact that Naruto had dreamed about her. Not head feeling or stare into the eyes could fix this at the moment.

"He's been saving his money for who knows how long!" Sakura yelled clutching her dress in her hands. "I've been such a jerk to him!"

"Well, can't argue with you there," Ino said icily. She couldn't really sympathize right now.

Sakura looked at Ino as her eyes became glossed over with tears. "Instead of buying himself a new home and more food he's been saving so he could one day ask me out on a date!" Sakura wept.

"Hmph, at least he acknowledges you!" Ino yelled turning to stare, no glare at her.

"Wh-what?"

"When I try to be nice all he has running through his mind is you! And ramen!" Ino shouted.

"Hey! How do you think I feel! I like Sasuke and so far, through our years of knowing each other the only thing I've ever received from him was a goodbye wave! At least Naruto's touched you!" Sakura yelled drying her eyes.

Ino stood up. "You're the one stupid enough to go after someone who doesn't even like you, much less know you exist!"

"Uh, hello! That's you all over! We're basically the same if you stop to think about it!" Sakura yelled.

Ino opened her mouth to say something when Sasuke started jerking around and mumbling. "Huh?"

"I-Ino…" he muttered. He grasped his covers turning over as Naruto did the same saying, "Sakura."

"I love you!" They cried in unison. They grabbed each other by the neck and…kissed!

Ino and Sakura just stared in shock as both boys opened their eyes. 'Here we go,' they thought dropping bullets of sweat.

Naruto and Sasuke looked each other in the eye. They then stared at their lips, which were still connected. A thin trail of drool had seeped from their interlocked lips. Returning their gaze to each other's eyes, they broke apart screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Waahh! I got a virus in my mouth!" Naruto screeched grabbing his throat. He broke out into a heavy sweat looking around at the girls. "Quick! Somebody get me an antidote! Get some effin water! Get the peroxide! Call the exterminator! I'm fading fast!" In his panic he fell out the bed landing on his head. "Oww!"

Sasuke was still in his original position with his lips quivering. His voice returned in a shaky high-pitched tone. "Na…ru…to! You're…dead!" Without a moment's hesitation, he leapt right on top of Naruto and they began rolling around trading blows.

"How dare you put your putrid lips on mine!" Sasuke said landing a blow to the gut.

"Hello! Quit acting like you didn't do the same thing! I'm not into boys so go on somewhere with that guy lovin' crap!" Naruto said sinking his fist into a soft cheek.

Ino and Sakura were twisted in their chairs to get a better look at the dust cloud that consisted of Naruto and Sasuke. They rolled this way and that knocking stuff to the floor. "Think we should stop them?" Ino wondered. She looked at Sakura and saw that she was once again crying. "Hey! Ease up on the water flow, girl!"

"I-I can't help it! I'm looking at him now and all I see is someone who puts on a brave smile every day to hide the fact that they're living poorly because of me!" Sakura sobbed turning around to look at anything but Naruto.

Ino turned to face Sakura who was rubbing her eyes only to have the tears flow over her hands. "If anything I should be the one crying! Acting like I'm a ghost and what not." After that Ino's mind went back to what Sasuke said before he kissed Naruto. "Hey, Sakura? Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Sasuke say my name followed by an I love you?"

Sakura's head shot up with a crack. "Ouch…whiplash! Anyway, yeah. I heard that too but there's no way…it can't possibly be…I mean he shows no interest in you whatsoever," Sakura said as an obscenity from Sasuke was heard.

"I'm gonna overlook the tone in which you said that," Ino said eyeing her. "It's possible but why hide it if he does truly…you know."

"Yeah, I get it. Quite the conundrum," Sakura said heavily. Her expression became hard as she turned to Ino. "If you take my Sasuke away from me I'll kick your ass, make no mistake."

"First of all, he was never yours to take from anyway and secondly I got the hots for the blonde blue eyed boy, remember?"

Sakura nodded as Sasuke kicked Naruto straight into the back of Ino's chair knocking them both over. "Oh Ino! I'm sorry!" He said coming over to her. He gasped as he saw them. Ino was on top of Naruto, who now had a double knot on his head, with her noggin rested upon his chest and Naruto was busily looking over at Sakura holding out his hands in protest.

"Please! This isn't what it looks like!" He pleaded holding back his tears of pain. His head was throbbing from the pain.

Sakura took one look at him, felt tears well up in her eyes, and then ran into the bathroom slamming the door so hard she almost knocked it off its hinges.

"Damn it!" Naruto exclaimed as Ino sat up on his stomach rubbing her head. 'Hey, she's light! Guess that chest doesn't weigh her down after all, who knew?' As that rolled through his mind he quickly thought of an old hag woman to stop his privates from rising. He didn't want Ino thinking he was a pervert. He was and all but, he didn't want her figuring that out.

Ino got up shakily still massaging her head. "Ouch…that hurt." She made her way to the bed sitting down to watch as Naruto and Sasuke glared at each other. As she gazed at Naruto she wondered vaguely, what his reaction would be if she told him her true feelings for him.

Scenario: "Naruto! I love you with all of my heart!" "And I, you Ino. Sakura is not the one I want. It's you! This passion that burns inside of me was craving something. I was stupid to think it was Sakura whom I wanted!" He put a hand under her chin lifting her head so that they were eye to eye. "Oh Naruto…." She closed her eyes as she felt his soft warm lips upon hers as they embraced in a tight lip-lock.

'Yeah right, like that would happen. Since when did I have such active fantasies?' she thought sighing.

Sasuke broke away from the eye contest he was having with Naruto to look at his surroundings. "Whoa…this place is like a war zone," he said looking around not knowing this was Naruto's home and that he had just said the wrong thing at the wrong time. "Jesus…"

In the bathroom Sakura cried harder hearing that. Naruto stood up with a scowl on his face. "Hey! This 'war zone' is my house!"

"Sasuke went wide-eyed as he turned to look at Naruto. "Really? This dung hole of a place? This is your home?" He asked wondering how many feet he had in his mouth.

"Yeah! And if you don't like it then get the hell out," Naruto said opening the front door. Sasuke looked past him to the night-ridden sky. Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked out too. He uttered a low groan. "Shit! Its night already!" He shut the door and walked over to his bed sitting down. "I take it you and Sakura looked after us when we…?"

"Yeah, we did," Ino said trying to hide the blush seeping its way onto her cheeks.

"Thanks," Naruto said hugging her. Little did he know she was also starting to cry. "Ino? Hey what's wrong?"

Without answering she too walked into the bathroom with Sakura closing the door softly. Now the crying was twice as loud.

Naruto gazed at the bathroom door with the look of being hit over the head. "Okay…what just happened?"

"I don't know. Probably your fault though," Sasuke said picking up Ino's chair and sitting down. He grinned slightly. The seat was still warm.

"What's up with that ugly look?" Naruto said as sobs slipped from under the bathroom door. "God, why do they have to be inside of my home crying?" 'I do enough of that by myself,' he thought with a sigh.

"Who knows…they're girls. Maybe they're in PMS," Sasuke said shrugging.

"Nah, couldn't be. Not Sakura anyhow. I know when hers kicks in," Naruto said shaking his head.

Sasuke's head whipped up in Naruto's direction. "WHAT!"

"Kidding. I'm kidding man. Take a damn chill pill," Naruto replied waving his hand.

Sasuke's heart settled down as he thought about that. "And anyway, how would you know? It doesn't start every month at the same time."

"I'd owe that to the many years of stalking her," Naruto said seriously making Sasuke cringe at the thought of watching someone have their period. "Hey, two girls in the same bathroom. Wonder if they're doing something freaky?"

"They're not gay," Sasuke said quickly. "Considering both of them are head of my illegal fan club. I swear, if I could, I'd have the FBI shut them down or something and get them thrown in jail," he added chuckling to himself.

"Hn, you never know. If I heard moaning noises…"

"Why in the hell would you? They're crying for Christ sake!" Sasuke yelled staring at Naruto crazily while thrusting his hand towards the door. "Are you that much of a pervert?"

"If you have to ask then the answer is apparent," Naruto said with a sly grin.

Deciding it best to drop the subject, lest he stumble into something he really rather not know, Sasuke returned his gaze to his feet. "Hn. I'm hungry."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Then go to the store and buy something 'cause I ain't got no food to give. Shit, I don't even got food for me."

"Yeah. Why is that? Why do you live in such a crappy place?" Sasuke asked. "I mean, I don't have any parents either but at least I have a better home. Why not you? Cause I mean, this is place is…damn."

Strangely, Naruto didn't take that as an insult with him being the simpleminded idiot he was. Rather a question from an orphan to another orphan considering he remembered that Sasuke was just like him. "Well, I…uh, you see…" His eyes fell upon the vase on his bookshelf. 'If I tell him he'll laugh at me. I know he will.' "It's none of your business," Naruto said annoyingly.

"Well, excuse the hell out of me for actually caring about your ungrateful ass," Sasuke said looking around with a sort of hurt look on his face. His first chance at trying to be friendly and Naruto blew it back in his face.

"You're excused," Naruto scoffed.

"Idiot."

"Bastard."

"Hobo."

"Dick."

"Faggot."

"Tch. You're one to talk. How can you expect to be taken seriously with 'uke'1 in your name?" Naruto wondered grinning.

Sasuke's eyes flared. "Sh-shut-up," Sasuke stuttered with his face becoming a dark red.

Naruto opened his mouth but before he could criticize Sasuke, any further, about his name, the bathroom door creaked open and the girls walked out sitting down on Naruto's extremely lumpy and green couch.

There was an awkward silence for a long time during which everyone just looked around avoiding each other's gaze.

"So…what's the deal here? Are you guys gonna leave or stay?" Naruto wondered hopefully breaking the tedious silence. He prayed it would be the latter. A little company in this old place would greatly make him happy. Of course, his hopes were not high. If he were on the receiving end of choosing to stay here, even for one night, honestly, he'd have to say no.

"What time is it Ino?" Sakura asked dabbing at her eye with the tissue clutched tightly in her hand. For what it was worth she shouldn't have done anything. In an instant her tissue was soaking wet.

"It's…it's almost 10:30," Ino answered sniffling a little. Her eyes were puffy and red.

Sakura smiled. What she was about to say she knew was a bad idea but she owed him big time and knew it would make him happy. "Well, let's see here. I haven't got anything waiting for at home except a warm meal, a good steamy shower (Naruto's hot water was overdue so it was shut off. Her fault too), and a comfy, fluffy bed." What little smile Naruto had on his face vanished immediately as he put on a very weak, unconvincing grin.

"Oh, okay then." He clapped his hands together rubbing them. "I completely understand. If-if ya gotta go, ya gotta, right? Of course I'm right. Well, wouldn't want to hold you so let me just get the d—"

"But what the hell. I suppose one night in this crapshack won't kill me," Sakura said smiling and winking at Naruto.

"Yeah, might as well. After all, I don't have anyone waiting at home for me…besides the haunting darkness that consumes me every night. I'm sure if those thugs from sand came a knocking again your ass is grass so I'll stay…as a guard of sorts," Sasuke said shrugging. "This is not a sleepover runt. Just so we're clear on the aspect of things."

"Like _you'd_ stand a chance in your ragged condition," Naruto muttered narrowing his eyes at Sasuke. Sasuke pretended he had not heard that comment.

Ino stepped up beside Naruto and planted a kiss on his cheek. "And I'll stay…just because I want to."

The happiness that was flowing through Naruto right now couldn't be described with words. He also felt a little hot around the collar. He bit his bottom lip as he put an arm to his face to wipe away the approaching tears. "You guys…you guys are too much!" He wept smiling.

"Uh, dude! Tone it down on the tears! You're gonna flood the whole place at this rate and I'm pretty sure that'll get you evicted," Sasuke said backing away from the puddle of tears swimming towards him.

Sakura waltzed to the door opening it allowing the water spewing from Naruto's eyes to flow freely. "Hey Naruto. We'll be right back, okay? We just gotta go and pick up a few things from our houses. Like a blanket and pillow," she said motioning to Ino who had joined her at the door.

"Hey wait!" Naruto walked up to Sakura and Ino holding out his pinkies. "I've been the victim of many a cruel joke in the past and I wanna make sure this isn't one of them. Pinky promise me you'll be right back," Naruto demanded looking at them both with seriousness in his eyes.

Both girls grasped his finger. "We promise!" They said together.

"Good, now I can relax," he said holding the door open for them with a hearty grin.

Ino blew Naruto a kiss then they both disappeared hopping through the trees. The door closed silently behind them.

Sasuke stared at Naruto who was trembling from head to toe. "Uh, you okay?"

"YEAH! HELL YEAH! SAKURA IS GONNA SPEND THE NIGHT AT MY HOUSE!" Naruto yelled punching the air in excitement. "I NEVER THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD COME! LUCK BE A LADY NAMED SAKURA!"

"Yeah, three cheers all around," Sasuke said in that tone of voice that pissed Naruto off. He took his place on the floor. He flipped over onto his back with his hands behind his head, and gave a melancholy sigh.

Naruto stood over him smirking. "Hey why aren't you leavin' to your home to get somethin'?"

"Cause I'm good just like this, idiot."

"Whatever, dope," Naruto said grinning.

"Don't call me a dope you third rate ninja," Sasuke snapped.

"Do I need to bring up the 'uke' subject again, Mr. Manhandler?" Naruto asked smiling. Sasuke remained silent. "Okay, that's what I thought."

"Hmph! Get from over me. I don't like having a straight forward shot at your crotch," Sasuke said disgustedly.

Naruto grinned. "Then why are you looking, fag?"

"You're standing above me!"

Naruto jiggled his waist just to annoy Sasuke further. With a grunt, Sasuke socked him straight in the balls making Naruto hop around cradling his testes.

"Hey! Watch what you hit, queer! I might need these for tonight with Sakura!" Naruto yelled throwing Sasuke a nasty look while tenderly rubbing his aching sack.

"Yeah, right. You're too young for starters and anyway if she'd want to be done by anyone, it'd be me she'd ask. You'd just get punched as usual, you perverted idiot," Sasuke stated snorting.

"I'm not a pervert! And what's this 'you'd get her' business, huh? You don't even like her!" Naruto spat stalking over to Sasuke.

"I like her enough not to let her get raped by the likes of you! If anything I'd do her just to keep her away from you!" Sasuke hollered knowing this was not the right road to take to becoming friends.

What started out as seeing a crotch quickly became a heated argument ending in a complete silence with both boys tired and their voices hoarse from yelling.

After moments of reticence Sasuke turned his stunning black eyes to stare into a pair of cerulean ones. "Ya know, I really hate you…" he croaked massaging his throat.

"Not my fault you wore out your voice," Naruto whispered shrugging as he sat down beside Sasuke. He hid the fact that his voice was just as shot.

"No, not that, retard. I mean, I really hate you," Sasuke grunted.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Bypassing the fact that I couldn't care less what the hell you thought of me, that's you're fault. I don't recall ever doing anything to make you upset. Oh! Now I remember! I'm better looking, I'm stronger, and I'm smarter than you!"

Sasuke laughed loudly surprising Naruto as he had never seen him laugh. "Ha! Yeah, anyway. I hate you for one reason."

"Just to kill time before Sakura returns"— he checked the watch on his arm –"I'll ask. A-hem. Okay, Sasuke, why do you hate me with such unrelenting anger?" Naruto asked in an unflattering happy tone.

"Because…you stole Ino away from me."

Naruto's eyes widened at this piece of shocking info. "What?"

"I can't believe we said yes!" Ino said in giggly tone. She felt like she had butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. "W-why am I so nervous?"

"Well, we're skimming across buildings way above the village so if we fall…splat! But that aside it probably has something to do with sleeping in your lover's house," Sakura said grinning sheepishly.

"Sakura! Don't…don't call us lovers! We're not like that!" Ino protested shaking her head and blushing.

"Ah, but you want to aspire to that level sooner or later don't you?"

"Well…of course I do!" Ino said turning a deeper shade of red.

"Then, if you do and he says yes, you realize he'll want to get to first base later on don't you?" Sakura asked enjoying the predicament Ino was in. She also enjoyed the uneasy position she put Ino in asking these embarrassing questions.

"Yeah…I do. But, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. And anyway, why aren't you worried about sleeping with Sasuke?" Ino wondered disturbed by her friends calmness when she was feeling queasy. "Uh…this would be your first time with him, right?"

"I wish it weren't but yeah. Because, I know Sasuke. I know he won't try anything slick. Naruto on the other hand is kinda like a wolf. Pretty sure I can handle him," Sakura said confidently while raising a fist. "My little animal tamer, if you will," she added indicating her risen hand.

"You do realize we're too young for there to be any hanky panky, right?"

"Hell yeah. Of course I do. But I may be able to break those boundaries, for instance if Sasuke started feeling a bit frisky. I would not mind at all," Sakura said blushing at her words of daring. Although she was joking she didn't know that at that moment Sasuke was making a bet with Naruto to get to their girls first and make a women out of them. Fifty dollars were riding on it. Sasuke wondered how he would pay it but Naruto wouldn't say as his eyes glinted to the bookcase with the vase.

"You're bad," Ino said as they neared their splitting point. "Well, I'll see you back at Naruto's!"

"Yeah! See ya!"

As Ino hit the ground with thoughts of nothing else but Naruto she opened the door only to be bombarded by her mother. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN! It's 11:OO! I was so worried about you, I was inches from calling the police when you showed up!"

Ino pushed her way in closing the door behind her. "Mom, quit freaking out. I'm back and in one piece okay? And no I'm not talking about that retarded One Piece show either."

Her mother ignored that last comment. "How can I not freak out? My daughter doesn't show up after school and stays out late! This is grounds for punishment!" Ino's eyes shot open. "But…seeing as how you're back safe and sound I'll let it slide this one time."

Ino bowed graciously. "Thank you mother."

"Good gracious. Teenagers can be such a hassle. Anyway, come one. It's time for dinner," Her mother said leading her daughter into the kitchen. An aroma emanating from dumplings and sushi complete with dipping sauce slapped Ino right upside the mouth making her mouth swim with drool.

'No! Got to remember Naruto!' She thought fighting her aching gut. 'This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Priority for tonight: First kiss!'

"Ino? What's the matter dear?"

"Nothing mother…I just remembered that I'm staying over at a friend's house with some other friends so we can practice our techniques so our chance of passing can be raised," Ino said praying her mother would be as gullible as any other parent.

"Oh, well that's nice dear. You may g—". Before the words had fully left her mouth Ino was up the stairs and down the stairs with a bag of snacks and assorted stuff. "My! That was quick! Just one question, before you go, dear."

Ino's hand was turning the doorknob as she turned around and asked a little more impatiently than she meant. "Yeah?"

"Whose house are you staying at? Sakura's?"

"Not this time, ma. I'm staying at the Uzumaki residence," Ino said. She raised an eyebrow as her mother dawned a crazy look.

"By Uzumaki you don't mean that Naruto boy do you?" Her mother wondered with fear in her voice.

Ino chuckled nervously. "Yeah, why? Oh, if you're worried about the whole boy girl thing it's gonna be Naruto, Sakura, me and Sasuke, the class heartthrob. Hey! Mom!"

Her mother gripped her by the arm and pulled her upstairs. She opened the door to Ino's room and walked inside pulling Ino in her wake. She sat Ino on her bed, turned around and closed the door. As Ino stared at her mother she saw her expression become hard and the wrinkles on her face grow more pronounce making her look like she had aged in a span of five minutes.

"Uh, mom? You're starting to scare me. Are you okay?" Ino wondered. Her mother was acting strange, stranger than normal if possible.

"Ino, I forbid you to go around that boy. Stay away from him at all costs," she said staring wide-eyed at her daughter. She knew she would not understand but she had to say it.

At Sakura's home.

"What are you talking about? Stay away from him? Why?" Sakura wondered gazing up into her mothers frightful eyes. "He's my friend! Why should I just ignore him all of a sudden?"

"Sakura don't argue with me! This is for your own protection!" Mrs. Haruno said sternly. "That boy is dangerous!"

"What are you talking about? He's not dangerous! Clumsy, perverted, stupid, and hungry yeah, but not dangerous!" Sakura protested realizing all too late that she was helping her case any.

"Sakura, there are things about that boy that you don't know about. Horrible things that I'm not allowed to speak of just know it's for your own good. Your sleepover is cancelled," her mother said in a voice that signified the end of the discussion.

With that both mother's walked out of their daughter's room. The girls stared at the door as though their mother was still standing there. They then put their heads inside their pillows and screamed while thrashing around on their beds. That's when the pinky promise they had with Naruto flashed into their minds. His happy face wanting them dearly to return to his home to provide company. They didn't want to see that smile disappear but…it was out of their hands. Then as if having the same thought at the same time…an idea came to mind.

Ino made her way to the window on the side of her bed. 'I'm not gonna listen to her! What does she know? Just as thickheaded as usual, parents! Doesn't even know Naruto and she's judging him! I'm going to that sleepover!' She thought furiously. In her haste to get over to the window she elbowed the shelf that held her collection of different dolls bought by her grandma. But grandma was the least of her worries. She vigorously threw the expensive dolls on the floor.

'I'll get out through the window,' Sakura thought grinning in spite of herself for her daring. She put her fingers under the latch and tried to lift up. She struggled for a few minutes thinking she'd need to train some more if she couldn't lift a window.

Lightning zipped across the sky illuminating the reason why she couldn't get the window open. Both girls let out a scream of anguish that was drowned by the clap of thunder as they saw what impeded their progress. Someone had used kunai and shuriken to fix the window down. The girls could hear their parents muffled laughter from downstairs. All hope evaporated as they flung themselves back on the bed burying their faces once again. Looking back, both girls decided it was pretty stupid to mention Naruto's name knowing everyone knew him for his reputation for trouble and pranks. His most recent crimes were sneaking ramen from the ramen stand known as Ichiruka. Before they knew what was happening, they were fast asleep with disturbing dreams about being trapped in a box with their parents holding the key just out of reach laughing and taunting them.

Back at Naruto's home Naruto was sitting on his bed with his legs crossed. His head was in his palm as he stared off into the night without taking any of it in. His face was emotionless as he remained as still as a Venus flytrap. Sasuke, still on the ground, was on his side pretending to be asleep. He knew Naruto was heartbroken. It had been a full two hours since the girls left and since then he's remained in that position waiting for them to return like a loyal dog.

'Naruto…I'm sorry,' Sasuke thought sadly before closing his eyes. He decided the bet was cancelled due to lack of said girls. He soon drifted off into a deep sleep filled with erotic pictures of Ino that made him harden. He grinned slightly.

Feeling played and thoroughly angry with himself for believing in the same people who had shunned him like everyone else in the village Naruto removed himself from the window. He released a heavy sigh that surprised himself because he didn't think he had been holding his breath. 'I was stupid…. A pinky promise is nothing more than two fingers touching. Nothing more,' he thought angrily. Sasuke's light snores reached his ears canceling out his first plan. He wanted to talk to Sasuke in hopes he would make him feel slightly better. Talking to him was greater than opposed to talking to nobody. Without another word or thought to the subject, and not feeling like talking to the ceiling, he brought the covers over his head and silently cried himself into an uneasy sleep.

TBC

A/N: Wow! I can't believe I made it to the fifth chapter! Cool!

1 Uke – bottom person in a gay relationship


	6. Finals and Confessions

A/N: Okay! Eh, I just passed over 1000 people who have read my story in less than a month! Thanks! Now, if only I could get that many reviews. Please R&R! Peace!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Naruto or it's characters. Dang…

Chapter 6: Finals and confessions!

Summary: It's time for the finals and Naruto is seriously dispirited. Feeling trampled he tries to leave Konoha but a certain confession makes him stay. Elsewhere, Gaara is wandering the town alone in search of something to justify his meaning for living and finds someone who's a little shy.

"Okay class! When I call your name you're to come into the room next to this to perform two tasks. How greatly you succeed depends on if you pass or fail," Iruka announced to the nervous students.

It was the next day, Wednesday; exam day children would call it. Or nervous breakdown day the hopelessly weak in chakra would call it. Naruto sat next to his un-heartthrob, Sakura with his chin rested uncomfortably on the wooden table. He had decided last night that he would give up on Sakura. She wasn't worth all the pain and misery he was going through. He could see if she appreciated him and liked him like he did her but no, such is not the case however.

Both Ino and Sakura tried to reason with Naruto and tell him why they couldn't make it. Naruto on the other hand wasn't ignoring them. He was just too hurt to actually recognize them. He was in a sort of dream like state ever since he woke up that morning. Sasuke couldn't bear to see Naruto like this and resented Sakura and Ino for doing that to him. That was cruel in his perspective. But both boys didn't know half the story and the girls weren't about to give up in trying to explain.

"Now, I hope you all have been studying for this test! This will determine if you go on to become a genin or stay back another year at the academy for training," Iruka said with his eyes moving to Naruto who looked in a serious state of distress. Then he saw Ino sitting just above him with a mournful look on her face as though she had a death in the family. 'Wonder what's wrong with them?' He shook his head then whipped out his clipboard causing several students to gulp or twitch nervously. "Let's get started! Um…Hyuga Hinata! Follow me please!"

Hinata gulped and stood up shakily. "Oh…boy." She began to walk slowly down the aisle as if praying for something to happen to interrupt her test. As she passed Naruto he raised an eyebrow and reached out grabbing her hand. She turned to look and almost melted at the sight of who held her hand. His smooth hand took her by surprise.

"Hey, calm down Hinata. You'll do just fine; I'll be rooting for ya. Just relax and go with the flow. I know you can do it," Naruto said giving her a thumbs up. "I promise you we'll become genin…together."

With that he let go of her hand and waved her on. Hinata felt as if she were the luckiest girl on earth at that moment. That talk had calmed her down. She exited the room with new spirit and hope.

After the door closed it was just the students. (How foolish of Iruka to leave the students alone) Everyone turned to look at Naruto who once again put his forehead on the desk with a heavy sigh. Sakura and Ino looked at each other not knowing what to say.

"Yo Naruto, do you like Hinata or something?" A student asked curiously.

"No, shut-up."

"That's not what it looks like," Kiba muttered ignoring Naruto's tone.

"Up yours Kiba. I'm not in the mood for this crap right now okay," Naruto growled.

"Who shoved a stick up your ass, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked with his head in his hands. A bored look was on his face.

"How would you like a real stick shoved up your ass, Shikamaru?" Naruto grinned. He was not to be played with right now. Being on the brink of doing something crazy and what not.

No one said anything after that but continued to stare at him; as if they were provoking him to do something stupid. They knew Naruto, and it wasn't like him to sit down quietly. He was usually the one scribbling swear words on the chalkboard or making armpit noises whenever Iruka talked.

Finally, after thirty minutes Iruka came back in to call out the next student's name. "Aburame Shino!" Iruka left the room as Shino stood up without a sound. He exited the room and left behind the impact as though he were never in it. The other students breathed easily as they had not been called.

Naruto turned his head 90 degrees to the left so he was staring at Sakura. "Sakura?"

She jumped at her name. "Naruto? Yeah? Need something?"

"No. I just have something for you," he said reaching a hand into his pocket.

Ino watched on in jealousy and curiosity as Naruto rustled around in his pale brown bag on the back of his pants. Sakura however knew what he was about to do and braced herself.

Naruto pulled of a wad of cash making everyone crane his or her neck to get a better look at it. "Here. This is for you. I originally had something planned to do with this money but…such is in the past and I…I don't want this deceitful money anymore so just…just take it." With that said he dropped all of it in Sakura's lap and returned his head to the table.

Sakura looked at the money then to Naruto. This was exactly like his dream. 'Is he that mad at me?' She wondered picking up the money. 'Uh, hello idiot! He's not mad he's heartbroken! That someone didn't come back to his house!' Inner Sakura pointed out. 'Hey! That wasn't my fault! A certain someone's mother wigged out and put her daughter on lockdown!' 'You could've used the window for Pete's sake!' 'Did you not see the way that my parents had fixed the damn thing closed? Gosh, you're supposed to see what I see! Now shut-up and be quiet!'

Sasuke eyed the money then Sakura. 'What's she gonna do with that? And furthermore, how did Naruto get so much money? If he has the mullah why doesn't he do something about that shabby place he calls a home?' Shrugging as it was none of his business Sasuke returned his gaze to the chalkboard with some techniques he was going to use running through his mind.

"Whoa! Naruto! You're just giving her that money!" Kiba yelled.

"Yeah. Mind your business."

"Shit, if you're so loaded give me a couple bucks," Shikamaru sighed into his hand. He was a shining example of someone who wasn't at all nervous about the exam. He already knew he would fail.

Naruto grit his teeth. His mind became clouded as ideas started running through his head. "…Fuck it." Naruto stood up and walked halfheartedly to the door grabbing its handle. He attempted to open it when Ino yelled, "Naruto! What're you doing?"

"I'm leaving. What's it look like?" He said this as his body began to twitch. He stood up straight and placed his hands inside of his pockets. Looking on the ground he saw a shadow leading from him to Shikamaru who was standing exactly like him. "Shikamaru, damn you! Let me go!"

"No."

"Naruto! You don't get to leave until after the exams are over! You know that!" Ino said staring at him.

Laughing maniacally, Naruto stared straight ahead at Shikamaru. "You don't get it do you? I'm not just leaving class…I'm leaving Konoha!"

Ino gasped. "Why?"

"Yeah, why are so bent out of shape?" Sakura wondered clutching the money tightly in her hand.

Naruto turned his eyes upon hers. "Take one good got damn guess. That was the last straw! I thought you guys were my friends! I can't take this anymore. Nobody should have to go through the crap I have to go through, every single day I get those looks. Every single day a grown-up sneers at me or kicks dirt at me! Half those people I don't even know and they just take it upon themselves to be mean. Well, I might as well disappear. I'm pretty sure that would make everyone happy! I don't need to be a genin to live a life! My life sucks anyway so I'll start over at another village or someplace else." After he finished he found he could move again. He looked and saw that Shikamaru was sitting down staring at him with mild-interest.

"By all means continue with your inane ranting," Shikamaru said waving a hand lazily.

Naruto didn't even hear this. He grabbed the door swinging it open. One foot was out the door when Ino stood up slamming her hands on the table with her bottom lip trembling. Sakura looked up at her in shock. 'She isn't…is she?' 'Oh yes she is. 'bout damn time to.'

"Naruto! You're wrong! Some one does care about you!" Ino shouted to the surprise of everyone in the room.

For one reason or another Naruto stopped to turn and look at her. "Really? And who might that be?"

"ME!" Ino yelled closing her eyes. "I tried to tell you before how I felt but…but I was…I was afraid! So there! I l-like you Naruto!" She opened her eyes breathing hard and grinned slightly at her own daring.

"Well, she totally came out the closet on that one," Shikamaru said.

Sasuke was twisted around in his seat staring at Ino wide-eyed. He wasn't the only one; the whole class was staring at her as if seeing for the first time. 'She…likes him?' He turned back around with his eyes narrowed. Her outburst was running through his mind over and over. His heart was pounding against his chest.

Sakura on the other hand was smiling. She stood up and walked to the stunned Naruto. She grabbed his hand placing it on top of her hand, which held the money. "Here, Naruto. I'm sorry Ino and I couldn't return to your little party. Something happened at home. I would've called you but…"

"Heh…I don't have a phone," Naruto said grinning.

'He's smiling. But…is it a real smile or it another one of those smiles he puts on to hide the pain? I can't tell.' Sakura thought.

She pushed the hand with the money towards Naruto. He gazed at it, raised an eyebrow, then shoved it back at her. "Nah, I don't need it." For a hot minute him and Sakura played a sort of tug-of-war except in this case it was more like push-of-war. "Look Sakura, you take this money or I'll shove it down your throat," Naruto said forcefully.

Sakura laughed along with some of the students. "Fine, when you put it that way I guess I'll keep it but…I'm not gonna spend a cent of it."

"Fair enough," Naruto said walking up the aisle to Ino taking with him everyone's gaze.

'Omigod! Is he going to…to kiss me? This'll be just like my dream!' Ino thought happily while instinctively closing her eyes. She gasped slightly as he wrapped his arms around her bringing her closer. 'This is it!'

Far from it. Naruto embraced her in a heartfelt hug.

"Thank you Ino. I needed that. I can't believe I was about to quit, that's so not like me." He grinned as a slightly disappointed Ino wrapped her arms around him. "At least somebody besides Iruka likes me and doesn't resent me."

"Naruto…I-I got to tell you something that's been eating away at me ever since I first kissed you," Ino mumbled making sure no one but him could hear.

"I know. I know what you wanna say but let's say…we save it for after the exam so I don't get distracted," Naruto said softly in a voice that made Ino shiver.

"Uh, if you already know what I'm going to say then why should it matter?" Ino wondered blushing.

"Because…if I hear it from you I'll wind up never wanting to let you go," Naruto said releasing her.

As Naruto took his seat with a blatant grin on his face Ino remained standing. 'Whoa…I never thought those three words would have such a dramatic effect on him. I guess he's gone for his whole life without hearing those words so it's only natural that he'd feel very special. Which he is, of course. I wonder, if he accepts me, if he'll let me know why our parents think he's dangerous.'

Naruto was having his own thoughts. 'That Ino…I thought for sure she was a Sasuke fan-girl. I already know I can't trust anyone except myself anymore. This has to be another trick. It just has to be. If I fell for it…. I don't think I can take another blow like that and keep my sanity. I'm just…I'm just sick of it all damn it! But what if she's serious? No way! It…can't be. I know; I'll test her! Just to make sure she's serious about her and me…us, right after lunch.' He then smirked smugly while turning to stare at Sasuke who was glaring at him with the intensity to that of a basilisk. 'I totally forgot he had the hots for Ino! Ah well. This is gonna get quite interesting.' He pulled his eye and stuck out his tongue. "Nyah!"

Sasuke just stared then did a rude hand gesture. "Up yours, Naruto."

"I'd hate to have to snap that finger off," Naruto whispered.

"Okay class!" Iruka said coming through the door. He looked at his class and could tell that something had happened while he was gone. One big hint was the fact that Naruto was grinning and just earlier he was a perpetual river of sadness. Another hint was that Sasuke was now the one sulking. "Perhaps I'm better off not knowing. Anyway, next up is…Uzumaki Naruto! Follow me!"

Naruto hopped up as if he were on a spring. With newly found energy and the discovering of someone who actually cares for him his spirits were raised. As he walked out he could've sworn he saw out of the corner of his eye Ino blow a kiss at him. Him and Iruka walked down the hall in complete silence except for Naruto who was humming a song to himself.

Iruka rolled his gaze over to Naruto. "You sure are happy."

"Sure am!"

"What happened to the sad-sack Naruto from earlier?"

"He's left the building baby! Sort of like Elvis…" Naruto said.

"You're weird," Iruka said plainly while shaking his head.

Yeah? Well, you're a nosebleed," Naruto grinned.

"What do you mean by nosebleed?

Naruto laughed. "Can't believe you've forgotten all about my Sexy jutsu, nosebleed."

Iruka groaned. He had hoped that by playing stupid Naruto would have forgotten all about that vulgar technique of his. Though he would never admit it, even on his deathbed, Iruka thought that combing two techniques like that were genius. Naruto did have the smarts to become a Hokage…if he would just use them. He then remembered he wanted to ask about something. "Hey, is there something going on between you and Ino?"

Naruto shrugged. "Might be…. Why do you wanna know?" He wondered feeling his heart pump as they got closer tot heir destination.

"Because, something happened when I was gone, right?"

"Something always happens when you leave the classroom but…yeah, something did happen. I found out you're not the only one who likes me," Naruto said winking at Iruka.

"Oh really? That's great!" Beamed Iruka patting Naruto on the back.

Naruto smiled then his the grin wiped clean from his face to be replaced by. "Um, about this exam. Is Mizuki-sensei gonna be there?"

"Mizu…? Ha! Heavens no! He ran away after he healed from that ass-kicking you handed him. The coward. No, your exam will be conducted by me and Master Gai."

Naruto cringed and his left eye twitched as the impact of those words hit him. "Dude, for the love of God. Don't joke like that, man."

"It's no joke, Naruto."

Gasping Naruto gaped at his sensei. "Okay, now when you say Gai you don't mean that dude who looks like he could be Rock Lee's dad…do you?" Iruka nodded confirming Naruto's fears. "Oh, hell naw! I'm quitting right now! I resign! No way in flippin' hell am I going in there! I just know he's gonna do one of his weird-ass poses and ya know what? I'm gonna lose it!" Naruto exclaimed turning around. Iruka grabbed him by the back of his neck cuff choking him and bringing him back.

"You are not going anywhere. You're going to take this test," Iruka said smiling and dragging Naruto down through the halls. Naruto dug his nails into the ground in a vain attempt to pull himself free while screaming the whole way there. The only thing he accomplished by doing this was to ensure people would remember him by the groves his nails left behind in the floor. 'What an idiot!' Iruka thought grasping the knob to the appropriate room.

"No! No! Master Iruka, please! If you have an ounce of feeling for me do not put me in the same room as that bowl cut wearin', uber-brow having"— He stopped as he was thrown into the room—"Man of the hour! How ya doin' Master Gai?" Naruto asked rubbing the back of his head while staring up at Iruka angrily.

Naruto had been flung forcefully into a wide square room. The ceiling was high and the walls were black marble. There was a long table with two chairs seated behind it against the far north wall. One of those seats was occupied by the butt of Naruto's least favorite teacher: Master Gai. He was wearing his usual green leotard with his green vest. Naruto's eyes instantly fell upon that stupid shiny bowl cut. Those creepy caterpillar eyebrows of Gai's twitched as he spotted Naruto.

"Naruto! You're late but…it's probably just the exuberance of youth! You're so full of it!" Gai exclaimed standing up and getting into one of his weirder poses. "I will forgive you!"

Iruka grinned as he grabbed Naruto's arm to stop him from diving on his fellow examiner. "Lemme go! Lemme go! Just once! I swear I'm gonna rip off those-mmph!"

A hand was slapped over his mouth interrupting his violent talk. Fortunately for him Gai hadn't heard a word. His pose seemed to demand all his concentration.

Iruka groaned as Naruto continued to rave splattering his hand with spit. "Ugh…sorry Gai. Let's get started then," Iruka sighed taking his chair. He wiped his hand then looked at his clipboard and said, "Okay Naruto. Two tasks are required in order to pass the exam and thus move onto the genin lifestyle and become the lowliest of Shinobi. You'll have to do the Bunshin No Jutsu technique and the Henge no Jutsu technique." He finished that and looked at Naruto giving an encouraging wink.

"Don't fret Naruto! I'm sure you'll do fine! Your flame of youth will propel you to victory!" Gai yelled shaking his fist at Naruto.

"If so, then why are you shaking your fist at me?" Naruto wondered sweating.

"Cause if you fail again I'm gonna beat some sense into you!" Gai said grinning.

"Oh yeah. That's a shining example of encouragement," Naruto muttered bleakly.

"When you're ready," Iruka said nodding.

"Right first thing I'm doing is a little bit of my own ninjutsu," Naruto said straining his face in concentration while making a series of complex signs.

"Good, good! Always a pleasure to see new material," Gai said promptly.

"Material? This is gonna be marked as an unknown technique! Perfect for when I become Lord Hokage!"

Iruka sighed. "Naruto…wouldn't it be easier if you just stuck to the original techniques instead of going out on a limb? You'll risk failing again."

"Chu callin' me weak?" Naruto grunted as he concentrated his chakra. "Sayin' I don't have what it t-takes?"

Iruka looked surprised that Naruto would think this of him. "Of course not! I know you have the potential to one day become a Hokage but I'm talking about now and here. I just want you to pass, Naruto."

"Good then trust me," Naruto said as blue lines of chakra started racing around his feet creating a mild wind that ruffled his clothes.

Iruka opened his mouth in an attempt at another protest when Gai interrupted him. "Now, now Iruka! If the boy thinks he can do it then by golly go for it I say!" He said doing his hyper-head-nod.

"Fine," Iruka said breathing heavily from nervousness. "Do what you got to do, Naruto."

"Alright Masters Iruka and Gai prepare yourself for the next generation of techniques! Change!" 

A cloud of dust enshrouded Naruto. As it fell Iruka and Gai went wide-eyed as they saw what Naruto had become.

30 minutes before the exams

"Ya know. I never realized how boring this village was! No one's fighting, no blood on the ground, no powerful enemies to fight. This place is a living hell!" Kankuro exclaimed picking at his carrots. "The food sucks too. It tastes like ass…Temari's ass!"

What followed next did not surprise Gaara in the least as he took a sip of his cola spitting soon after. With a sound that reverberated throughout the area Temari slapped the spit out of Kankuro's mouth. As he rubbed his cheek Temari went into a rage about him being a pervert and how would he know what her ass tastes like.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Kankuro said grinning mischievously as his cheek shown a brilliant red. 

Temari sat down racking her brain for a time when Kankuro was anywhere near her ass blushing to the extreme all the while.

Kankuro laughed to himself as he returned attention to his plate of food. With his mind on making Temari question herself he put a big spoonful of food in his mouth. A split second later his eyes were bulging out of their sockets and he started hacking, spitting, and choking while clutching his throat.

Temari pointed and laughed heartily not bothering to keep her voice down. Several ninja in the vicinity chuckled along with her. None of them had been stupid enough to even attempt to open their mouths. The smell alone was a definite warning.

"Quit your whining and eat, you big baby," Temari chided hiding very well the fact that she thought the food was rather disgusting as well. Determined to prove the food was alright she took a small bite. "Ulp!"

"Yeah. See? I told you," Kankuro said scooping some hard mashed potatoes into a spoon. With precise aim he flicked it straight into the ear of a child that happened to wonder by. He grasped his ear looking around, until he went home crying about being haunted by ghosts. "Heh, punk."

Gaara sat with his arms crossed staring at his plate of food as if it had done him a grave injustice. 'How in the hell can somebody fudge up a drink? You got to be super smart to do that,' he thought disgustedly.

All three of the sand ninjas were seated just outside of an outside bar. It was one of them things with the circular table with the wide bench and the umbrella sticking out of it to put in the shade the people eating under it. They had ordered the Wednesday special which, surprising enough, appears to the special from two Wednesdays ago. Other ninja from other lands were at the same bar with the same looks of disgust upon their faces.

"Okay, lunch officially blows," Kankuro said throwing down his fork in nausea. "Effin people don't even know how to effin cook! God! I'm still effin hungry! Makes me wanna effin kill someone!"

Gaara shifted his gaze upon Kankuro nodding in agreement but remaining silent. 

"I hate to admit it but…you're right," Temari said opening her mouth. A wad of chewed up moist food spilled out onto her plate with a sickening splashing noise. "Blech!"

"Aw dude! Effin disgusting! And without even trying to hide it no less! My God in heaven, at least try to show some courtesy when eating!" Kankuro said sticking out his tongue.

"Oh shut-up," Temari snapped furrowing her brow.

Gaara was saved seeing that horrifying sight as the sand in his gourd came out covering his eyes. "…Temari, just one thing."

"Oh! Y-yes Gaara?" She asked nervously.

"If I had seen that…you wouldn't be sitting there right now looking at me with a scared expression. Your face would be on the ground and your body…somewhere around here," Gaara said lazily flicking his hand anywhere while standing up.

The color drained from Temari's face as she stood up along with Kankuro who sniggered. "Burned. Not even I got death threats that severe."

They started to walk away with Temari and Kankuro arguing about who got worse death threats when the owner of the bar came out brandishing a very bloody knife. Probably just got down gutting a pig or something. The blood dripping off caught Gaara's eyes. It reminded him of the blood that leaked from his victims when they suffered the Desert Coffin. How he longed to do it again. Feel the cold splash of blood against his parched face. The bar owners voice dragged him out of his reverie. "Hey! Just where do you think you're going without paying your tab, huh?"

Gaara turned his emerald eyes upon the keeper making him freeze. "The food was incredibly nasty. I only pay for food that satisfies my palette. Yours did not."

Several ninja nodded in agreement but remained silent. Some crept away while the bar keeps attention was on Gaara. Kankuro peeked around the barkeep to the fleeing ninja and just shook his head making a note of what they looked like. He planned to hunt them down and kill them for using them as an excuse to escape.

"Listen here you little punk! I don't care if the food here is crappy you're not getting away without paying!" The barkeep yelled going red in the face. 'I never knew my food was crappy. People always comment on it. Hmm…regardless, this little squirt ain't getting away without paying!' He thought angrily.

Gaara closed his eyes and sighed. "Unless you want an early death I'd advise you to drop the matter," he stated in a steely tone.

Kankuro shuddered. He really didn't feel like seeing ones blood splatter against the ground so he walked in between Gaara and the barkeep pulling out his wallet. "I may not have liked this shit you call food but…I still pay my dues even if I couldn't eat it." He pulled out the appropriate amount of money and extended his hand only to have it snatched away by Gaara.

"We're not paying for this Kankuro," Gaara said pocketing his brother's cash.

'That dirty lowdown rotten sunuvabitch! Trying to act like he didn't just take my dough! He's probably strapped for cash and knows I won't say anything,' Kankuro thought grinding his teeth.

"Pay up or I'll call the police!" The barkeep yelled showering Gaara with spittle. "Hey! Wait a…I know you! Yeah, you're the one they call Gaara! Gaara of the Sands! They say you're wanted for murders. But with the upcoming competition they've temporarily suspended that so you could compete as well."

Kankuro raised an eyebrow. Since when did his brother have wanted posters with his face on it? Was there something he and Temari didn't know?

"So…are you gonna hand over the money or am I gonna have to go get Lord Hokage?" The barman deadpanned smirking in a victorious way. 

Gaara twitched. Glaring all the while at the bar owner he dug into his pockets pulling out Kankuro's money. With a scowl he held out his hand only to have it snatched up by the barkeep. "Hunh, that's what I thought you'd do!" He then turned around and walked back to the bar apparently pleased he had stood up to a child. Big whoop. But maybe it wasn't so much a child per se but the fact that he had stood up to Gaara of the sands. True, it was only by threat but, hey, a win is a win. Gaara watched him go; about the only thing he could do. It was taking every once of self-control he had not to bury him in sand. It was then he realized that his eyes were burning.

Kankuro and Temari stared at Gaara who watched the man like a snake watching a mouse. They had never seen Gaara do what he was told to do. That was like some sort of unbreakable law with Gaara. Listen, disobey, argue, kill. That's how it usually went down with him.

"Uh, Gaara? Are you alright?" Kankuro asked putting a hand on his shoulder.

Gaara trembled and slapped Kankuro's hand away. "Don't touch me…unless you wanna die," he choked. Something watery rolled down Gaara's cheek leaving behind a trail of shimmering water.

Lightening struck down between Temari and Kankuro as their jaws hit the ground with a resounding thunk'! Gaara was actually crying. Gaara! The one with the scowl, the rugged demeanor, and the high score of 23 kills in a single week! That Gaara!

"Oh my…there is a God!" Temari exclaimed just low enough for Kankuro to hear. He nodded in agreement.

Gaara's eyes widened as he removed the belittling tear from his cheek. "Son of a…" He stopped. Turning his gaze towards the woods he took off in a sprint leaving the others behind. The other genin in the bar looked after Gaara with mixed looks of confusion. 

"Wait! Gaara!" Kankuro's pleas fell on death ears as Gaara melted into the darkness of the trees. 

"What in God's name is wrong with him? Must've been something real bad to make him cry," Temari said frowning. Her sisterly instincts were kicking in. No matter how many death threats he gave her she knew it was only to compensate for the many attacks on his life. She was still his older sister and therefore it was her job to take care of him. She stared into the swallowing darkness of the forest as though Gaara were still there.

"Damn…he hasn't cried in five years! What could've made him break down and cry now?" Kankuro queried putting a hand to his chin.

"In any case, we'd better go after him," Temari said sprinting off after Gaara. Kankuro nodded and ran along side her.

Gaara ran until he collapsed at the end of the forest. He lifted his profusely sweating head to stare at the back of the local ninja academy. 'Naruto….' The blonde haired Kyuubi ran through his mind pulling his eye and sticking out his tongue. He tried standing but he was too tired. 'What am I doing? I'm tired and yet and still I'm trying to destroy Naruto. Why?' 'You already know the answer to that.' 'Shut-up, Shukaku! I'm not going to let you run me anymore! I'm going to kill to justify my reason for living instead of for your amusement.' 'In retrospect, it's the same thing.' 'You say one more word I'll--' 'You'll what, huh? What can you do? I'm a part of you. I'm the reason you're wanted in every land.' Gaara squeezed his eyes shut. He could feel the presence of tears begging for release. "No! Crying is a weakness!"

Looking around Gaara suddenly took in the small things; anything to get his mind off Shukaku. The cloudy blue sky. The sweet air. The soft grass on which he was laying on. The little stuff. "Why…? Why does everyone hate me so? Is it because of Shukaku? That's not my fault. I didn't ask for this thing. My bastard father put it in me! Curse him! I hope he's burning in the very depths of hell! Because of him I've never known a days peace! Shit!" Then a bell rang inside his dome. 'Hello! How do you think Naruto feels?' 'Fuck off Shukaku!' Gaara's attention drifted to a butterfly that was floating towards him. 'That's it. Come closer. Let me touch you,' Gaara thought with his face creaking into a grin. He held out a hand for the butterfly to land on when sand erupted from the ground wrapping itself around it squeezing it. With a small 'crick!' the sand disappeared and the insect floated lifelessly to the ground. 'Ah ah ah! No touchie touchie.'

Gaara stared transfixed at the butterfly as the once clear sky darkened with thunder filled clouds threatening to soak him. "Why the hell am I caring about an insect? I must be going crazy." He sighed and laid his head down. After what felt like forever the back door to the ninja academy opened and a red-cheeked, blue haired, white-eyed girl walked out with obvious signs of happiness underneath her blushing. It started raining. A Konoha hitai-ate headband hung loosely from her scrawny yet smooth neck. 'Hn…the final exam must be going on now. This would be the perfect time to ambush Naru…no! Might as well kill her then.' After trying to stand for the second time with the sole purpose of killing that girl his eyes went blank and he collapsed.

"I-I can't believe I pa-passed!" She exclaimed happily remembering it was Naruto's words of courage that had guided her. She stood under the sunroof and stared out into the pounding rain, which for some strange reason reminded her of Naruto. "Without him…I might not have been able to…" Her voice trailed off as she spotted Gaara laying facedown in the sopping wet grass. "Oh my…" 

Gaara's eyes shot open as he sat up in alert. 'Where am I?' He thought looking around. He felt his shirt was removed but his pants were still on. He raised an eyebrow at the interior of the room. He was laying on top of a warm bed with scarlet covers. The floor was covered in soft dark blue carpeting. There were dressers and mirrors. A chintz armchair that held his sand gourd. It was rather fancy. A clock on the nightstand next to him read 8 p.m. Then his eyes rested upon the ass of the girl he had seen earlier. 'Whoa…big ass,' he thought. He blushed and shook his head feeling himself stiffen. She was leaning over in front of him picking up a napkin she had dropped. It was probably due to the tight blue pants she was wearing, along with the pink apron and dark red sleeveless T. He cleared his throat and the girl jumped 5ft in the air whirling around in surprise.

"Oh! Y-you're awake," Hinata said coming to his side. She put a hand to his forehead making him wince. "Are you f-feeling all right? I found you unconscious near t-the school."

Putting a hand to his head Gaara struggled to remember what had happened. But it was useless. His memories were seeping through his mind as fast as trying to hold water in your palm. The only bit he remembered was debating on whether or not to kill her. Figuring it was the least he could do since she took him in he decided against it.

'Aw…I want to feel her blood!'

"Shut-up," muttered Gaara gritting his teeth.

Hinata looked puzzled. She hadn't said anything. "Huh?"

Gaara shook his head rubbing his temple. "It's…it's nothing." Gaara turned his emerald eyes upon those eerie pure white opals. "Who are you?"

Blushing she walked back over to the front of the bed lifting something up. "I'm…Hinata," she said putting a tray of food over his legs. She couldn't set it down properly due to a bump. "Huh?" She put the tray on the ground and examined what was sticking up in the covers.

Gaara raised an eyebrow as he stared at her then to the bulge. 'Oh shit!' He thought with his eyes widening.

Hinata held out a finger and poked it making them both yelp. Gaara's eyes flared as he grabbed her wrist. "Do. Not. Touch. Me." Gaara snarled paralyzing her with his icy gaze.

Hinata shivered as he let her go. She stumbled back, breathed, then once again placed the tray of food a little above the area she guessed was his crotch. She blushed at the naughty thought. "H-Here. You need to keep your st-strength up with that c-cold you have," she stuttered blushing. Gaara eyed her suspiciously seriously debating whether or not to kill her.

"Do you…know who I am?" Gaara asked looking at his spread. Dumplings, dipping sauce, Teriyaki chicken ramen noodles and some juice.

"Gaara of the sands. Wanted in every land for murders and the source of disastrous happenings," Hinata replied as if reading a page from his life.

Blinking, Gaara looked at her crazily. "If you know who I am then why do you bring me into your home?"

"Because," was her simple answer.

"Because why?"

"I don't judge people from what I hear…only what I see," Hinata said grabbing the door handle. She opened it saying, "Rest up, okay?" She had one foot out then turned around much to the annoyance of Gaara who very much wanted her to leave. "Oh…I-I almost forgot to tell you. Some fr-friends of yours are downstairs waiting for you. One of th-them was a girl with y-yellow blonde hair and the other has a bundle of wrappings on his back…" Hinata shivered at what she had seen inside the bundle using her _Byuukagan_ technique. Whatever it was gave her the creeps.

"Yeah. Leave 'em down there," Gaara sneered. The last thing he wanted to see right now was their ugly faces. "Toss them out. Tell them to go away."

Hinata smiled stifling a giggle. Gaara raised an eyebrow at her. She obviously thought he was joking. As he gazed at her, his heart started hammering against his ribcage. He thought for sure it was gonna burst and he would die.

He was snapped back to reality when Hinata spoke. "The one with the thing on his back looked like he was attacked by wolves or something…. I have no idea what happened," she said shaking her head to the questioning look Gaara was giving her.

Gaara shrugged. "I don't care. Tell them if they come up here I'll kill them," he replied stonily. "I want to be alone."

Hinata bowed. Gaara felt as if that was too much. No one ever bowed to him. She bade him a good eat and exited. As she closed the door Gaara looked at the food before him wondering once again whether or not he should bury her in sand. Deciding against it he picked up the pair of chopsticks on top of the ramen bowl and broke the tab that held them together. He started eating with strange emotions going through him so unlike the usual emotions he felt.

Hours earlier

Naruto was seating on top of a building, grinning from ear to ear and wearing his highly earned headband. He was eating a bowl of his favorite flavor of shrimp ramen looking over his fellow students who had also graduated, even Shikamaru though he was still moping as if he had failed. They were in various places eating their lunches as well. His grin broadened at the faces of his sensei's once he had done his tasks for the completion of the final exam.

Flashback 

The cloud of dust fell revealing four figures. Two exact copies of Iruka and Gai. They looked identical to the ones sitting behind the table with the clipboard.

Iruka smiled fatherly like as he checked something on his clipboard. "Pass!"

"Bravo! Bravo! See Naruto, see? I knew you'd be able to pass if you tried you hardest!" Gai exclaimed leaking tears.

The clones disappeared leaving behind a thoroughly pleased Naruto. "Yeah! I had to practice that one over and over to make sure I could do-Umph!" The rest of his words were gargled as Gai hugged him with tears streaming down his face. No matter how many times it happened Naruto's ribs always cracked as he struggled against his sensei. "O-okay sensei! I get the pic-picture! You're happy! So am I! You can let go of me now!"

After Iruka pried Gai away he delivered Naruto's headband. Naruto, laying on the ground because his spine was twisted, reached up a hand taking it with a broad pained grin.

End flashback   
He felt his sides and a sharp twinge of pain hit him. "Damn you Gai! I think that Lee look-alike might've finally snapped my flippin' ribcage gosh darn it."   
After a few minutes of trying to twist his spine back into place he scanned the village for the two people he sought: Sasuke and Ino. He soon found them. Sasuke was leaning against the window to his home, two buildings away from Naruto's, eating from the plate of meatbuns he had on the windowsill. He reached over grabbing the cup of milk on the side of the plate and took a long swig.   
"Okay, I have Sasuke in my sights. Now where's…ah-ha!" He grinned sheepishly as he spotted Ino sitting on a bench eating her dumplings and sauce with Sakura. They seemed to be having a heated discussion by the redness on both their faces. He chuckled to himself as he heard Ino shout, "Forehead girl!" and Sakura scream, "Whatever Ino-pig!"   
"My that didn't take long," Naruto said downing his bowl of ramen. Acting as though he had no qualms about his eating habits he slurped the remains. "Aaaah! Nothin' beats ramen, boy I tell ya!" He then looked around feeling quite stupid. "Who am I telling?" 

Shrugging he leapt off the building and sped toward the ground. He closed his eyes sighing contently as the wind rushed over his face.

Tham!

His head exploded in pain as he collided with a rock hard something. Feeling tears well up in the sides of his eyes he sat rubbing the area around where a knot was growing. It was then he noticed he was sitting on something. He looked down.

"Oh. That's what I hit," Naruto said getting wobbly to his feet. He winced as his head gave a throb of pain. He bent down picking up an unconscious, bleeding from the dome Kiba. "Hm, he seems all right. Just some minor blood leakage," he added looking him over. The cogs in Naruto's empty brain started turning as an idea popped up. "Instead of pretty-boy Sasuke, I'll use dick-eater Kiba!"

A barking noise from behind made him jump. He whipped around to see a growling Akamaru with his back arched and leaning forward as if preparing to leap and strike. Drool began to drip from his mouth. Black beady eyes pointed in Naruto's direction.

"Aw, shit. I forgot about this mangy—" He stopped short as Akamaru placed one of his paws on top of each other. "What in the hell…?"

With an eerie howl that caused the hairs on Naruto's neck to stand on end he disappeared beyond a cloud of dust only to be replaced by another exact copy of the unconscious, bleeding boy in Naruto's arms.

Uttering the smallest of squeaks Naruto shouted, "Just what the hell have you been teaching this dog!"

TBC

A/N: The next chapter is gonna be mostly about Kiba. Just a little heads up.


	7. Run, forest—I mean, foxboy, run…!

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long! Computer failure and stuff like that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. That right belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Buddies an anime genius.

Chapter 7: Run, forest—I mean, fox-boy, run…!

Summary: Naruto runs pretty much throughout the whole chapter. His heart rate increases and it bursts in his chest killing him instantly…well, not really. He does have a run-in with Shikamaru and learns something most exciting about the shadow-ninja.

"What in the hell have you been teaching this dog, Kiba?" Naruto wondered loudly as he stared at the once canine now human. "What kind of dog is smart enough to learn the Henge no Jutsu technique! Has the world gone completely daffy?"

Akamaru growled lowly, his eyes flashing at his owner. Naruto stared from him to Kiba's limp body, then back to him and back to Kiba until a dusty bulb in his head clicked on. "Oh duh. You wanna protect your master, is that it?"

His response was a sharp bark.

"I thought so," Naruto said nodding. "Well…um, I'ma gonna borrow him for a bit, 'kay?" Akamaru took a step towards him and Naruto took a step back smiling nervously. "Whoa, ease back, man! It's all good. Who the hell am I kidding? You probably can't even understand me. Damn! How do I say this in terms you'll understand? Okay, okay I got it, how about…uh…bark! Ark-ark! Woof! Bark!"

There was a pause in which Naruto and Akamaru locked eyes. Hoping he had said what he had wanted to Naruto didn't dare break eye contact. Breaking eye contact was a sign of weakness to dogs. After a few seconds Akamaru's facial expression softened making Naruto give a relieved sigh. "Thank God, it worked."

Naruto bowed his head in thanks and instantly lifted it when he heard heavy thudding footsteps. He looked up and saw Akamaru inches from his face rearing back a hand preparing to slash. "Shit!" Grunting Naruto tossed Kiba in the air then looked at the approaching Akamaru. "Ugh, what the hell? I thought you understood! C'mon Akamaru, stand down! I don't wanna—whoa!" He sidestepped the dog's swipe but suffered three long gashes across the chest. "Okay…talking to this stupid mutt is a big waste of my flippin' time! And you ripped my outfit!" He held out his arm catching Kiba. He leaned a little to the side but stood up straight with a strained look on his face. "Damn Kiba, you sure do weigh a lot."

Akamaru skidded to a halt using his hands and feet. He shook his head and licked one of his hands whining a bit. Naruto saw that he had a cut on his hand/paw. Akamaru growled, turned on the spot and once again charged Naruto who put his hands together.

"Art of the Doppelganger! Well, hell, seeing as he can't understand me—Shadow form!"

In puffs of hazy smog five other forms of Naruto with Kiba slung over their shoulders appeared surrounding the confused Akamaru who looked from one Naruto to another. All the Naruto's grinned in a triumphant fashion. With so many Naruto's Akamaru wouldn't know who to chase giving them ample time to get away. Before he could carry out that plan of action Akamaru got on all floors sniffing the ground feverishly while perking his ears.

"Oh no…don't tell me," Naruto groaned as Akamaru narrowed his slanted eyes at him. "Shit…son of a—caught my scent." He sniffed his clothes. "I smell like ramen. Curse my irresistible and alluring scent," he groaned more happily than annoyed. He sighed and all the shadow clones disappeared defeated before the battle had begun.

Doing what his brain commanded him to, he turned on the spot and took off dragging Kiba's body behind him with a firm grip on his leg. As he had expected Akamaru gave chase catching up extremely quick so that he could nip at Naruto's ankles. "Damn, he's fast!" He grunted. He whirled around swinging his leg causing Akamaru to yelp and fall back. Grinning, he continued only to have Akamaru right behind him in less than two seconds. He groaned as he realized why he was going so slow. Kiba's heavy body was dragging behind him snagging the ends of his sleeves on rocks and causing Naruto to tug extra hard to untangle him.

'It'll be worth it. Just to see if Ino's serious about me and her, us,' Naruto thought with a strained smile as he pumped his legs harder. He ignored his heart thudding painfully against his chest. It felt on the edge of bursting. He couldn't, wouldn't stop. He had to see this through. Akamaru was starting to have trouble keeping up to him, which Naruto was thankful for. 'That's right, ya stupid dog. Get back there where you effin' belong!'

It was then that he noticed his front side seemed curiously damp. He looked down and groaned. The longs slash marks Akamaru had made had been bleeding like mad. Turning to look back he saw, with another groan, that Akamaru was following him by the droplets of blood that spilt; sniffing at them.

"Aw, damn it!" He yelled angrily. Then, a desperate idea worked its way into his mind. He ran for a little bit longer until he saw it.

He took a sharp left through some hedges. He winced as the branches swiped at his face tearing his clothes further. He laughed when Kiba's face got snagged by some thick vines. When he emerged he had ditched his jacket and shirt. Hopefully that would stop Akamaru from following him. He turned around skidding to a stop next to a fountain. It took him a couple of seconds to realize he had wondered into the middle of the park. Breathing heavily he perked his ears for any sign of thudding footsteps.

After a few silent minutes he threw himself down on the edge of the fountain with his chest heaving thankful for the flourishing trees that encompassed him creating a much needed shade. The only sounds he could hear were his hoarse breathing and the soft splashing noise of the calm water. He was barely conscious of the curious looks people were throwing him. Then, he figured it must look pretty strange to see a half-naked boy pulling another boy by the ankle.

"Well, well, what have we here?"

Naruto cocked his head forward. He knew that bored, drawling, 'I-think-everything-is-stupid' voice. He turned to the left and, sure enough, saw Shikamaru sitting right beside him, with his forehead protector tied securely to his arm, staring down at Kiba's unconscious body with mild interest.

"Uhh…I-I know wh-what this looks like but trust m-me…" Naruto stuttered before Shikamaru held up a hand for silence. 'Is he gonna rat me out? Damn, of all the people to run into!' Naruto thought sulkily. This would mean a strong and long lecture from Master Iruka not to mention this would raise several eyebrows at what he was planning to do with Kiba. Shit.

Shikamaru looked from Kiba's body then into Naruto's eyes. "Nope. I don't even want to know why you're dragging his lifeless body everywhere or why you are half-naked," he said in that voice that annoyed Naruto so much. He sounded as though everything was beneath him that nothing mattered to him.

Relieved of this new information that he wasn't going to get in trouble, Naruto breathed out heavily unaware of how much pain it later caused on his slashed chest. He clutched it in pain. Looking down he saw that the blood spurt had stopped and that the wound was already starting to heal itself. 'Must be Kyuubi's doing,' Naruto thought grinning wearily. 'Sometimes buddies a lifesaver.'

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at him. "How did you get that injury?" He asked pointing unnecessarily at Naruto's chest.

"Nothing," Naruto said wishing that he had not abandoned his shirt.

"Doesn't look like nothing to me. Looks like something," Shikamaru said slowly. "Did Kiba do that to you?"

"No. Shut-up about it," Naruto demanded through gritted teeth.

"He did didn't he?"

"No."

"Yeah he did," Shikamaru nodded.

"What is with you? I have a little cut, so what? Are you in love with me or something cause you sure are askin' a lot of questions about me."

Shikamaru totally ignored that last bit. "But he did do it, right?"

"Ya know what? Enough about me! What about you, huh? What are you doing here?" Naruto spat wanting desperately to change the subject.

"I always come here…just to relax and get rid of unwanted memories," Shikamaru said in a melancholy tone. He still wondered about Naruto's injuries but decided to let it go. "This is the best spot, in my opinion, for someone looking to shed those memories to come. The wind carries them off never to be returned."

Naruto laughed but passed it off as a violent cough.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, yeah, I'm A-OK," Naruto responded swinging his feet idly.

"Oh…yeah, I wanted to say I think you fought that sand dude Gaara well," Shikamaru said with a congratulatory little nod in Naruto's direction.

Try as he might Naruto couldn't hide the broad grin that had surfaced over his face. That was the first compliment he had gotten from that battle. "Well, technically I had a little help from a certain something," Naruto whispered thinking of Kyuubi. Shikamaru said nothing.

"After what I saw them do to Sasuke…well, let's just say I've been kind of edgy," Shikamaru informed in a dark tone that made Naruto raise an eyebrow.

"You? You've been edgy? Pfft! You sure do a great job at hiding it."

"Yeah." Shikamaru nodded. "I do don't I?"

A swift silence fell. Minutes passed in which Naruto was able recover his much-needed breath and Shikamaru gazed rather dully at the clouds passing overhead.

"Well, if there's nothing else to say, I guess I'll be on my way now," Naruto said half-rising clutching Kiba's leg tightly. "Got some important stuff to do that involves this fool, here," he added giving Kiba's leg a tug. He hoped Shikamaru would let him go.

Shikamaru spared him one glance before returning to his precious clouds. "Naruto? Have you ever…just taken the time to just sit around and look at the clouds?"

Thinking it rude to just say "no" and walk away Naruto reluctantly sat back down with a scowl on his face. He heard a faint thump of Kiba's head hitting the ground and smirked a little. Does he ever look at the clouds? What kind of stupid question was that? Of course he never stopped to look at the stupid clouds.

"No, can't say that I have," he muttered in a bored tone as Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. Once again he had expectancy that Shikamaru would notice the total monotony in his voice and just leave.

"You should. They tell you a lot of things," Shikamaru uttered extending his arms towards the sky. "A lot of things…"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, like what? Name one why don't cha."

"Like…" he paused and closed his eyes. "It's going to rain," Shikamaru replied softly. "I bet I must irritate you, eh Naruto?"

This question struck Naruto by surprise. He didn't know rather to be truthful of not. The truth was hell yeah he got on his last nerve every single day but he couldn't very well come out and say that at least not without feeling slightly guilty about it.

Naruto twiddled his thumbs nervously. If he kept quiet for much longer Shikamaru would be able to guess by his silence. "Uh…do you want the ugly truth or a pretty lie?"

For the first time since Naruto's known him Shikamaru gave a chuckle. "Heh, well, I guess I can pretty much come up with the answer when you put it like that."

"Sorry," Naruto muttered slightly abashed at his answer. He became aware that it was becoming progressively darker by the second.

"Nah, it's alright. I tend to get on everyone's nerves with my I-don't-care attitude," he said eyeing the clouds closely as if having a secret conversation with them. "But, I do care."

"Well, that's news to me," Naruto said more sarcastically than he meant.

Shikamaru seemed not have heard. "I used to be quite the little bastard when I was younger. Swearing, stealing, lying, and all sorts of things, kinda like yourself except worse, but then…something happened and I've been this way ever since," he continued softly.

Now, he had attracted Naruto's attention, something Naruto never thought possible. At least with Shikamaru. He was leaning towards Shikamaru with his ears perked. Try as he might he could not conceal the look of eagerness on his face. When he noticed Shikamaru's pause he looked up and saw that he was staring at Kiba's body. Naruto looked and a soft cry escaped his lips.

Kiba was coming to.

Throwing all caution to the wind Naruto hastily pretended to slip off the fountain landing directly on top of Kiba. He also _accidentally_ held out his knees, which connected with Kiba's stomach putting him back into the state he was in before. Naruto sat back up looking slightly rattled. He was breathing heavily again.

"Damn, ya know, they, uh, really should put a sign up here about these slippery seats," he said grinning apprehensively once he had regained his seat. "Someone could break they neck, ya know what I mean?"

Whether Shikamaru noticed what he had done or not he could not tell cause his face was quite blank and expressionless. Naruto bent over to shove Kiba under the bench they were sitting on. He was growing weary of the looks passerby's were giving him.

After double-checking that Kiba was well hidden he straightened up with other thoughts running through his mind. Something that pushed the objective of him and Ino out for the time being. It was hard to believe that this bored, annoyingly calm boy was once a hyperactive, as he put it, bastard, much like Naruto. Far from making him feel slightly ashamed about his acts of stealing ramen and painting the Hokage's faces Naruto grinned at the thought that maybe he could persuade Shikamaru to become his old self; he was quite sure no one would miss the quiet Shikamaru. He knew he wouldn't that's for sure, and new help was always accepted.

"So, Shik—hm, Shik. That could be a good nickname for you, Shik," Naruto laughed turning around. "But, anyway…continue with what you were saying, about something happening changing you from the loudmouthed bastard to this quiet bastard?"

His jaw hit the ground with a resounding 'thunk!'

There was no one there.

Naruto looked around wildly. He was so sure he had just seen Shikamaru sitting next to him; talking to him about his past. They had been sitting so close he could've slugged him if he wanted to. Had he imagined the whole thing? Shaking his head clear of that ridiculous thought Naruto frowned at himself. Even if it had been his imagination he would not have been able to hear Shikamaru so perfectly. Unless…he was secretly so in love with Shikamaru that he seldom fantasized about him…. Naruto punched himself in the gut for even thinking about that retarded hypothesis. What the hell had happened?

"Damn! Where'd he go?" He wondered standing up thrusting his head in all directions. "I know he was right here beside me…talking! Talking to me about—"

Naruto stopped as he felt something wet collide with his head. He held out a hand and caught some of the falling rain. Almost at once he could hear Shikamaru's voice. _'Like…it's going to rain,_' he had said

"How in the heck did he know it was going to…? Is that why he left? Because of the rain?"

Within seconds it was pouring. Naruto stood rooted to the spot allowing the rain to mat his hair down all over his head. A loud booming roar sliced the sound of falling rain right into Naruto's perked ear. He turned around, hardly daring to believe it.

"Aw, screw me!" He broke off in a run with the clone of the boy he dragged right on his heels. "Don't you eva give it up! Jesus!"

He took a left and skidding across the slippery ground into a trash bin knocking it over. Rotten garbage rolled over him. He rubbed his head and face clear then rolled over as Akamaru's hand pressed into the deep moist soil precisely where Naruto's head had been. He flipped onto his feet staring Akamaru in the eye.

Naruto bit his lip as he struggled with his mind to come up with a plan. He and Akamaru weren't really different from one another. Both beasts and such, so, what could appeal to Akamaru that appealed to Naruto? Smacking himself in the head for his idiocy he turned around and started running once again ignoring the painful stitch that rose up in his chest. Food! If there's anyway to a vicious monster's heart it has to be food. Now all he had to do was run to the shop from which he had stolen from so many times the owner of the bar had actually conceded and now had a special bowl of free ramen waiting for him everyday. Granted he had already used this day's free bowl with lunch but what the hell, he needed the exercise. Can't be getting soggy around the theft department.

"Yeah, that's right! Follow the birdie!" Naruto called tauntingly over his shoulder. Akamaru gave a howl and reluctantly obeyed.

After a while the only sound Naruto could hear was his heart pounding hard against his ribcage as he rushed towards his destination. A beeping noise became mingled with his aching thudding heart. He looked at the watch on his arm. It blinked 5 p.m.

"Dammit! That damn Shikamaru wasted all of my damn time!" Naruto yelled skidding to halt. "I did all that crap for nothing? No! Son of a—"

A constant barking noise erupted inside his head. He closed his eyes and clenched his fist trying to block it out. He couldn't. Without thinking, he whirled around and swung his foot as hard as he could giving a frustrated yell. It connected with something hard and a crashing sound met his ears. He opened his eyes to see Akamaru back to his dog form and knocked out cold on top of a trashcan.

Naruto blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. A grin appeared on his face as his shoulders trembled. He jumped around punching the air with tears of gratitude gushing from his eyes. "I did it! Me! Yes! And…"—he checked his watch once again—"I still have time to put my plan into action!" Then, a frown appeared. "It's raining out! They probably went inside, already! Hm, I'll just walk around until I find them, then. They can't have gotten far."

It was then a great shudder stole over him and he sneezed.

"Great! I'm catching a cold!" He said wiping his nose. He then looked down at his exposed torso. "Well, gee, what the hell should I expect when I'm running around half-naked in the rain?"

"Naruto!"

Hearing his name made him jump straight in the air. He landed and whirled around coming eyes to eye with the very person he sought, plus some interloper: Ino and Sakura sharing an umbrella. Well, this wasn't exactly how he planned on meeting them; him without his shirt, three cuts extending across his shirt, standing out in the rain, and clutching the leg of his friend. They were staring at him curiously.

Naruto grinned out of instinct. It was what he normally did when he was caught red-handed doing something wrong. "Oh…girls? Uh, urm, how-how ya doin'?"

Ino shook her head. "How are we doing? Why are you out in the rain without an umbrella?" Her eyes found the long cut marks on his chest, which he had been trying to shield from view. She let out a predictable gasp. "Naruto! You're hurt! Who did this to you!" She demanded with her brow furrowing.

"Uh…well, about that…ya see—" Naruto began before being interrupted.

Sakura's squeak of shock distracted him. She was looking at what Naruto held clutched dearly in his right hand. "And what, are you doing with Kiba? Is he all right? Is that blood coming from his head!"

Naruto looked down.

"Aw, shit!"

The cut on Kiba's head had gotten worse since when Naruto had hit him. All that extra dragging and flinging around must've torn it more. The ground they were standing on was mostly the color red. It swam around their feet with the rain.

None of these answers Naruto could answer without being busted and his plan being exposed. He took a deep breath. He opened his mouth praying a decent and believable lie would spout forth but he was saved the trouble when angry voices coming from behind him met his highly useful ears. He knew those voices…and he really didn't want to see their faces after what he had done to their creepy leader.

Thinking quickly he tossed Kiba's limp body behind some bushes and quickly made some of the very hand seals he had used to pass his Final Test. In a poof he became an exact replica of Kiba right down to the last hair.

"Naruto? Why did you—?" Ino started before Naruto held up a hand to silence her.

"You'll see…" he muttered.

At that moment two people made themselves known through the rain. One of them had a bundle of wrappings on their back and the other one had a giant fan over her head to keep her out of the rain.

"Hey…isn't that…?" Ino started with her eyes widening while pointing at the one with the bundle on his back.

Naruto nodded. "Kankuro," he muttered darkly.

"Oh crap," Ino grumbled exasperatedly.

TBC

A/N: Supreme Gamma thank you for the review, I've read the manga and decided to change it up a bit like you said that's what makes A/U's interesting :-). For the incest warning... no need there will be none of that, my friends and familytease like thatit meansnothing... that's if you're referring to chapter 3. Storyline of where it is happening is explained in the chapter 4... that was already fixed... thanks for the look out. I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I appreciate the compliment to the fight scene. I enjoy talking to my readers. Please continue to read and I hope I continue to make it interesting for everyone

Againthank you for the reviews! I apologize again for being late with an update.


	8. A fight, a stabbed fox, and a second cha

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto. What are you laughing at? I sure don't see you holding the rights either so there! LAUGH AT THAT! Uh…Sorry 'bout dat, had way too much sugar before writing.

A/N: Sorry for taking so long with the next chapter. I got some new pets and they've been demanding my utmost attention! Stingy things. Anyway, I do thank you for the reviews! Please keep 'em coming.

Chapter 8: A fight, a stabbed fox, and a second chance…!

Summary: Accidentally, well mostly because of his big mouth, Naruto is thrust into a fight with one of the sand punks!

As they got closer, Naruto and the others could hear snatches of Kankuro and Temari's discussion. "…Even so I just can't believe he just up and left without a word as to where he was going!" Temari yelled hotly.

"Actually, he didn't really get up, he was already standing," Kankuro interjected quietly shivering slightly in the heavy rain.

A loud thudding noise echoed from their direction followed by Temari's shout. "Will you shut-up! You should be groveling for forgiveness seeing as this is all your damn fault!" She babbled.

Now Kankuro was yelling. "What in the hell do you mean my fault! How did you work that out? I didn't do crap to the man! He took it upon his self to get up on the emotion train and leave!"

Temari sneered. "Don't cha mean 'he was already standing?' And anyway, it just makes me feel better about this whole thing by blaming you! So just shut-up and say 'yes, it is all my fault my dear sis.'"

"Fuck…no. Hell no. Who do you think you are? Big sis my ass."

"I think I'm your sister," Temari said putting a hand on her hips. "You're beautiful, wonderful, loveable sister."

"Denial is such an ugly thing…much like you," said Kankuro giving a noncommittal nod in her direction.

"Just shut-up and say sorry for this!" Temari shouted hitting him again.

"Ow! I'm not sayin' for sorry for something that isn't my fault! What you're doin's a pretty shitty way of taking responsibility!" Kankuro shouted back.

"What's that supposed to mean? Taking responsibility?"

"Oh, right, I forgot…never having any you wouldn't know what it means!" Kankuro laughed. "You're the oldest fanny! You should look after him!"

"I—but—you're the tallest!" Temari stammered wildly. "And don't call me fanny! You know I hate that!"

Blinking, Kankuro bellowed, "I'm tall! And what in the hell does that have to do with anything! You're still the damn oldest so it falls upon you to look after him! Me, on the others hand, can still goof off. And, I wouldn't call you fanny if you would just lose some of that junk in your trun—"

Another thud and he was cut off.

Temari remained silent for a few seconds before saying, as if the before conversation never happened, "It's still you're fault."

"My goodness gracious at the ignorance," Kankuro sighed rubbing his temple before laying his beady eyes upon Naruto and the other's. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Aren't you munchkins supposed to be in bed?"

"Shut…the fuck…up," Naruto growled flipping him off.

Kankuro rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's a shining example of maturity right there. You've got about as much as Temari, here. Which would be a resounding zero."

Another thump was heard even with the rain pounding down.

"God! You still can't take a joke!" Kankuro yelled wincing at the triple stacked knot on his head. "Ouch."

Sakura's grip on the umbrella loosened and it was carried away with the fierce wind as she realized who the dude with the wrappings was. Her mind reversed back to yesterday. Something about Sasuke getting hurt, Shikamaru coming to save him, and Kankuro, here, being the one who attacked Sasuke.

She withdrew a kunai from the pouch on her thigh. "Are-are you the one who hurt Sasuke?" She questioned in a slightly quivering voice.

A broad grin spread over Kankuro's face as he played back that battle in his mind. "Sasuke? Let's see…Sasuke…Sasuke…oh! The raven-haired, stony-faced weakling from your lame school? Him? Yeah, that was me," he answered shrugging without feeling a shred of remorse. "Why? Gonna do something about it?"

Sakura grit her teeth. "Yeah. Kick you ass for starters!" She yelled raising her weapon.

Temari stood in front of Kankuro. "Listen up, you with the fruity strawberry smell! We didn't come here to fight your weak ass; we're lookin' for our little brother, Gaara. You know him. Seen 'em?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "What? You guys are related?"

Kankuro stepped around Temari looking Naruto up and down. "Hm, I've seen you. You hang out with that fag Naruto, right?"

Naruto bared his teeth and growled in his throat.

Kankuro took that as a 'yes'. "Who are you?"

"Are blind and stupid? It's me…the guy who kicked your gang leaders' ass!" Naruto yelled with a blatant grin.

Ino shook her head as she whispered in his ear, "You look like Kiba. Remember? Of course they don't know who you are, idiot!"

Naruto flushed. "Oh yeah," he muttered before something heavy collided with his cheek. "Ooooh! Damn!" He lost his balance falling ass-first onto the hard wet cobblestone ground rubbing his cheek. Pain was shooting up and down his face making him see pretty circling yellow stars.

Before his vision could come back, the scruff of his shirt was lifting him to his feet. He blinked away the pain in his face and saw that Kankuro had him. He had a most gruesome look of loathing on his face. "Don't—you—ever—insult—my—brother—in—front—of—me!" He growled yoking Naruto higher.

Naruto held up a finger to halt him while something moved up his throat. With a disgusting snorting nose he hawked a logy right in Kankuro's left eye. Grinning he said, "Whew! ' Bout time I got that thing out! Been buggin' me all day."

Kankuro wiped the spit away with the back of his hand releasing Naruto as he did so. With a grunt, he elbowed Naruto in the stomach dropping him like a sack of potatoes.

"Uff!" Naruto wrapped his arms around his stomach holding back the sour, steamy liquid swimming up his esophagus.

"Piece of—eng!" He backhanded Naruto onto his back.

The fox demon laid still for a sec before flipping forward kicking Kankuro right in the gut. Or so he thought. He looked and saw Kankuro clutching his foot with a contorted grin on his face.

"Nice try," commented Kankuro giving a congratulatory little nod.

Naruto groaned. "Crap."

"HA!"

Kankuro twisted his foot sending him spiraling into the ground sending water everywhere. He didn't stay down long. He was on his feet in the blink of an eye with a grin on his lips. He and Kankuro stood meters apart; neither moving. A fierce wind was coming in blowing the rain in a rapid fashion.

"Yo! We gonna scrap or give a hug?" Naruto yelled over the howling wind. "I got better things to do with my time than stand around in the rain and gaze longingly into your murky eyes! Gotta go home and feed my dog Akamaru!"

Kankuro spared a quick glance around. "What dog? There's no one here."

"Oh, he's here," Naruto, said casting a leery glance in a certain direction. He prayed Akamaru would stay knocked out. If he came out barking and snipping at him like a stranger, it would put him in a very awkward situation.

"Where is he?" Kankuro pried. "Shouldn't he be protecting his master? Ya know, from threats to his life?"

"He's taking a crap," Naruto replied casually, "and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't consider you a threat anyway. You're way below that level, bud. Now, mind ya own business, pussy-cat." He grinned and pointed to the black hood on Kankuro's head. "Nice hat there by the way."

Kankuro took a step forward his face in a determined calm though his voice was a different matter. "What was that?" He gnarled.

"You heard me, retard," Naruto started before being hit softly in the back. He whirled around and once again saw Ino staring at him. "What?"

"Kiba," she said slowly as if trying to remind Naruto of something, "do you really wanna fight someone or do you wanna keep a low profile? Don't you think that would be wise?"

Kankuro took the wrappings off his back laying them on the floor. "He just raised his profile to my level. I don't even need Scarecrow to beat you. Let's go, freak."

Naruto twitched. He hated being called as freak. Grown-ups always hissed 'Freak!' at him wherever he went and he didn't know why until Mizuki came along. Something about that word seemed to provoke a great rage in him. He didn't ask for that stupid demon to be put inside of him as a sort of puppet. The word 'Freak' in bloody red letters kept flashing in his mind. It burned away at his soul. He could feel his blood boil as he turned around slowly.

"I…am…not…a…freak!" Naruto cried, feeling Kyuubi raise its head sniffing the air hopefully.

"Ooh! Got to the little freak have I?" Kankuro barked harshly.

Naruto clenched his fist, cracking his knuckles unintentionally, and ran at Kankuro pulling up his sleeve as he went.

"TAKE IT BACK DAMN YOU!" He yelled throwing a punch.

Kankuro caught it and shoved his fist deep into Naruto's chin with a crack sending him off his feet to the ground with a rumbling thud. Naruto let out a yelp as the wind was knocked out of him. Those pesky stars returned for an encore.

Temari put her hands on her hips with a sour look adorning her face. "We're supposed to be looking for Gaara, remember? The dude that ran off after spilling tears? Am I ringing a bell? We don't have time for this!"

Kankuro laughed hysterically. "Oh, that's rich! How can you be so foolish Temari? There's always time to knock someone's face in!" He joked cracking his fingers as Naruto sat up. He hid the pain he was feeling in his hand with a smirk. Naruto had a hard chin.

'I can't believe I'm fighting the Kyuubi! Hmph! More like little Kyuubi. Dude's a punk. How could my bro have had a hard time with this idiot?' He wondered.

Naruto snorted and hawked out a big glob of blood. He flipped onto his knees then onto his feet. He spit again. His tongue had been cut by his teeth.

"You cut my…tongue," he said softly as a bit of blood dribbled over the corner of his mouth.

Kankuro gave a shrieking laugh. "Oops, my bad!" He pulled out a kunai and dove at Naruto. "I meant to cut it off! I'll do a better job this time!"

Naruto didn't move. Standing perfectly still, he gazed at the oncoming Kankuro without really seeing him. He realized he had lost this battle before it had even gotten started. He knew known of Kiba's moves. He only knew three techniques: Bunshin No Jutsu, lightning strike, and the Henge no Jutsu. None of them could help him get out of this very bleak situation. If he used any of his techniques, the sand nerds would instantly know who the man behind the man was and jump him probably putting an end to his life.

"Let it be known across the land from sea to shining sea that, I, Kankuro have finally bested the outcast known as Naruto Uzumaki!" Kankuro yelled as he raised the kunai bringing it crashing down. "DIE MONSTER!"

A lip trembled as a cry tore through the rain and thunder. "Noooooo! Naruto!"

Ino clapped her hands around her mouth in surprise. Had that shriek echoed from her or Sakura? She turned and saw her pink-headed friend eyeing her. So it was Ino. Almost coincidentally a loud clap of thunder struck somewhere in the distance muffling her words slightly.

Naruto's body acted on its own accord. His hand shot out in front of him catching the hand that held the kunai. His mouth opened bringing forth a horrifying roar that rose over the sound of the rain and thunder. Naruto's eyes transposed from cerulean blue to blood red for a hot second. In that second he grabbed Kankuro's head in his sharp nail riddled hand and brought it crashing down onto his knee with all the might he possessed.

Kankuro gave a groan of pain as Naruto brought his head back up until they were eye to bloody-nose. Clenching his hand into a tight fist, he drove it into Kankuro's stomach. The impact of the hit cracked the ground underneath them uplifting rocks and dirt. Kankuro's eyes widened as his cheeks bulged. "Bah!" Blood splattered against Naruto's arm as he pulled it back licking off the gore. Acting on a delayed reaction Kankuro's body lifted itself off the dirt and was thrown back skidding across the ground.

Naruto blinked and his eyes were once again their calming blue. He shook his head and spit out a huge chunk of blood. He stared at his hands then turned around to gape at Ino who still had her hands tightly wrapped over her mouth. Even through the earsplitting boom, he heard her as though she were right next to him. He smiled weakly and started shaking as the impact of what he was about to do hit him.

'I had almost given up,' he thought shaking his head.

He flashed Ino a thumbs up. "Thanks for that. Giving everything up, that's pathetic and…I'm not pathetic. I'm not gonna give up that easily! I'm not some got damn quitter! I don't care if the whole village is riding my nuts! I won't quit and I sure as hell won't run! I will become Lord Hokage even if it's by pure stubbornness!"

He turned back around to Kankuro. He was on his feet with his chest pumping up and down. A blood smear was under his nose left behind from when he tried to rub it away.

"C'mon! I'm not through yet!" Naruto yelled taking a fighting pose. "I may be a freak but it's a helluva lot better than being a puppet fag with kitty ears!"

"You fool, you have absolutely no idea," Kankuro scoffed giving an odd twitch.

"And you have absolutely no chance of winning just like your loser of a brother," Naruto shot back.

"You think that was me you hit? Ha! As if I'd ever let you do that to me!" Kankuro yelled.

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Naruto asked abandoning his attempts at cleaning his sleeve. "I hit you full on! Look!" He extended his arm. "In case you forgot just that quickly, this muck—this muck right here? It's your diluted blood!"

Kankuro's eyes shot upward for a minute then he grinned and laughed.

Naruto raised his eyebrows at a loss for that outburst. Something weird was going on. "Hey! What's so damn funny?" His answer came from Sakura.

"Naru…I mean, Kiba! Look out!"

It took Naruto a hot minute to figure out to whom the hell Sakura was talking to. He kept forgetting he looked like Kiba. Feeling extremely dumb, he turned around to see Sakura pointing above him. He arched his head and there was Kankuro, completely unscathed and untouched, falling from the sky wielding a kunai.

Kankuro's flew opened in an earsplitting yell. "FOR MY BROTHER GAARA!"

Naruto squinted, his eyes trying to make sure he'd really seen that. He couldn't have; it wasn't possible.

"What in the hell—? Then what was…?" He spared a glance at the Kankuro standing in front of him as it turned into that eerie puppet of his. 'When did he have time to do that?' He thought looking up again. "Oh damn! Aaaarrrrrgggh!"

Kankuro landed smack dab on him and they both hit the ground struggling and splashing water around. "Eat kunai punk!" Kankuro screeched as he pushed the kunai knife in as deep as it could go relishing Naruto's shrieks of pain.

"Aaaaaah! G-Get offa me!" Naruto grabbed Kankuro's shoulders and kneed him in the rear sending him flying off. He flipped over and stood up shakily with aches running up and down his left leg like electricity. He looked down and saw the kunai almost more than halfway in. Blood squeezed through the puncture. It ran down his leg soaking his shoes. "Ah, effin ramen noodle apocalypse!" He moaned swaying on the spot. "I hope I don't die from blood loss…'cause that would suck on so many levels." Then he thought, 'Got damn it. This is all my fault! Ino told me to keep my cool and hold it down but thanks to me and my big mouth…why'd I haff ta go and say that for?'

Ino leapt in front of Kyo bringing out a shuriken in each wedge of her hand. "Kiba stand down. We'll handle this."

Even if he wanted to object to this, he couldn't. Every ounce of strength was going to just standing without breaking down and crying. He collapsed and stared fixedly at the weapon stuck in his leg. If he pulled, it out more blood would gush out and probably—his stomach flipped—some meat would surely follow. His queasiness distracted him from the fact that Kankuro and Ino where now dueling. Sparks were flying from there kunai clashing and parrying. Temari and Sakura just stood no less than five feet apart clutching a kunai in case either of them tried anything slick to aid their partner.

Naruto was cheering rather absent mindedly as he saw Ino slash Kankuro with her shuriken before leaping back to avoid his kick. He booed when she took a blow to the gut and tried to stand. He found that to be quite impossible.

Ten minutes of nothing but scrapping, dodging blows, trading blows and much smack-talk went by before Kankuro did a back flip landing behind his puppet. He touched it with his middle finger and blue strings of chakra swam from his fingers connecting with each of the dolls joints.

"You still play with dolls?" Ino jeered smirking slightly. She winced as blood from a cut above her right eye swam into her eye. "Ouch!"

"You have a lot of mouth," Kankuro said giving his hand a little flick. The puppet reared back its wooden hand and in a flash of light, a kunai appeared tightly clutched inside. "Allow me to shut it for you! Take this!"

Ino hit the ground as she heard the whoosh of the kunai passing overhead. "Ha! Is that all you got? My grandma got better game! C'mon!" She taunted getting back up.

"Shut the hell up you amateur! Quit the talkin' and fight damn it!" Kankuro bellowed.

"That's it Ino! Get inside his head an' mess with him!" Naruto shouted encouragingly. "Make 'em mad! Make 'em mess up then kick his ever lovin' butt!" He flicked her a thumbs up. She nodded.

Grinning he put his hand down and felt warmness. He looked and saw that, to his surprise he was seated in a puddle of his own blood. His leg had gone horribly pale and gave involuntary twitches. It looked kind of wrinkly and shrunken. He could barely make contact with it through all the numbness. It was as if it had been submerged in a bucket of ice-cold water. He wondered vaguely if they'd have to lacerate it off. He shuddered at the thought of only having one leg. Some Hokage he'd be.

Before he knew what was happening he was sliding; sliding right out of consciousness. The pain and fever had over shadowed his brain. He needed rest. His breathing was coming out in short strained gasps as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. His last sight was the real Kiba emerging from the bushes. He was out before he hit the ground.

Something wet and cold, pressed against Naruto's head making his eyes twitch but he didn't dare open them. He realized at once that his Hitai-ate headband had been removed. The rag moved swiftly across his head then it was gone leaving a behind a cool sensation that Naruto greatly appreciated. He felt burning hot. As soon as he fully regained consciousness, his leg began throbbing insanely. He sniffed a little holding back tears that begged to be free.

"Where did you guys say you were?" asked a stony voice Naruto recognized as Sasuke.

Ino's voice answered. It was slightly shaky like she had a case of the hiccups. "A-at the park w-when it s-started raining."

"And those thugs from sand came," Sakura said darkly.

Sasuke made a growling noise in his throat. "I see…and what did this idiot do?" He pondered gesturing at the sleeping Naruto.

"Well, we don't know," Ino, answered truthfully. "We just saw him standing in the rain clutching Kiba's unconscious body, and then he became Kiba when Kankuro and the tramp appeared. I think he wanted to avoid fighting by pretending to be someone else. He probably knew they were itching to get some revenge against him for what he did to Gaara, so he became Kiba. But, due his big mouth this happened," she added thrusting her hand at Naruto's leg.

"Smart…for Naruto at least," Sasuke sighed bitterly. "Why does this brat always get the fun? I've been itching to find out where those sand bastards go and he finds them without even trying! Got dammit…if I had been there…" He broke off tightening the hold he had on his can of soda crushing it slightly. He sat it down on his nightstand for fear of spilling it.

Naruto opened his eyes as much as he dared just long enough to get a view of where he was. He could only guess that it was Sasuke's house or more like frickin' mansion. He closed his eyes thinking 'Damn! This place is huge!' It consisted of two floors. They were on the top floor, third door to the right, otherwise known as Sasuke Uchiha's room. Naruto was lying in one of the fluffiest maroon sheet covered beds he'd ever been in. It was like pure heaven compared to the hard lump of wood he slept on. Sasuke was sitting on the side of the bed with his back to him while the girls sat in a comfortable silk couch positioned on the left side of the bed under a window. He saw that they both bore minor cuts and injuries. Sakura seemed to be rubbing her back letting out moans of pain. It was still pouring cats and dogs outside by the strange barking and meowing noises. In front of the bed stood a beautiful marble dresser with a big screen, TV perched delicately on a wooden stand next to the dresser. On the right side was a closet that was relatively empty except for a black jumpsuit Naruto had never seen Sasuke wear.

Ino sighed. "We would've taken him to Iruka-sensei but he wasn't home and we had to get out of the rain. We knew our parents wouldn't like the idea of Naruto in their homes," she said exasperatedly.

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, he's away on a mission. He left right when he declared lunch."

"What we don't understand is why our parents don't like Naruto. No one's parent does. In fact the only grown-up that does like him is Iruka-sensei," Sakura said shaking her head.

"Do you think it has something to do with those cat-like whiskers on his cheeks?" Sakura wondered.

Ino shook her head. "I think that's a birth mark or something. Besides, our parents are hardly the one to be judging people by the marks on their faces," she said tartly, "What with the atrocious make-up they wear at times and how even more atrocious they look without it. They ain't got no room to talk."

"Then why does everyone treat him like a highly contagious disease?" Sakura demanded furrowing her broad brow in thought.

'_So…I'm some sort of contagious disease am I?_' Naruto thought savagely. _'I guess it's true what they say about women. That they're foul temptresses who like to dip their heels in tar and stomp on your heart repeatedly until it…beats no more.''_

"True…he does seem to be disliked by everyone. I think he knows why but he's unwilling to tell anyone," Sasuke said cutting into Naruto's meaningless thoughts while lifting his blanket to examine his leg. "Well, the swelling has gone down…by a smidgen." He paused. "Man, once you look at it it's kind of hard to turn away. It's so gross yet strangely entrancing. It's sucking me into its cut of amazement."

Ino sighed. What was it about boys and gross things? Can't they ever be normal? Put some of that disgusting energy into stuff like brushing their unruly hair and a little lotion here and there sure wouldn't hurt.

"Thank god," Sakura breathed. "Sorry I wasn't much help with wrapping his leg up, you guys. It was just all the blood and the meat when it hung out and…ugh, I'm starting to make myself sick again."

She swayed on the couch with her face turning a delicate shade of turquoise green. Naruto was right there beside her feeling his stomach churn.

"Hey. If you're gonna hurl again please go in the bathroom," Sasuke said pointing to the door to the right of Sakura. "Cause if you spew your insides all over my couch I guarantee you you'll be cleaning it up."

"No…no, I'm alright," she said shaking her head.

Sasuke lowered the cover and turned back to the girls missing the birdie Naruto was sending him under the covers. "So, what did you do with Kiba and Akamaru?"

"Kiba came to at the last second and sort of helped us fend of those sand freaks," Ino said. "After that he tried to kill Naruto for knocking him out and hurting Akamaru. After we prevented that…he left saying he'd get him back if it was the last he does."

'Ooh! I'm quakin' in my size seven shoes!' Naruto thought suppressing a giggle.

"Did he say why he was dragging Kiba around at all?" Sasuke wondered completely oblivious to the fact that his bed was shaking due to Naruto's laughing.

"Nope. Didn't say anything; didn't have time to actually. Before we could ask the sand punks appeared," Sakura said.

Naruto bit his bottom lip. He couldn't tell them the real reason behind it all. After all it was a stupid plan from the get-go. He was originally going to change into Kiba and find Ino and coax her into revealing some of her feelings and secrets for him. Then he'd do the same thing for Sakura. But Akamaru prevented it for the first half then the thing with Shikamaru happened and let's forget that fight with Kankuro. In all that crazy hubbub, there really wasn't much time to carry his plan into the open. He shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if he had been caught or found out. All trust would be, no doubt, thrown right out the window.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Hn. Those sand dudes. They seem odd to me…"

Ino looked at him. "You mean odd as in freaky odd or pain-in-my-ass odd?"

"None. Well, I guess, if I had to categorize it, I'd say weird odd. I mean, they know they could get in trouble for killing in Konoha but yet and still they pick fights with anyone who gets in their way," Sasuke sad putting on his thinking cap. "I just don't get it."

"What's there to get? They're a bunch of bloodthirsty bastards," Sakura muttered darkly.

"He seems to want to destroy Naruto," Ino said exhaling deeply.

"No. No, that can't be right," Sakura said holding up a finger. "I distinctly remember Gaara saying, when he had Naruto in that chokehold, to unleash it. Unleash the K…the K-something. Can opener maybe?"

"That begins with a 'c' you retard," Ino informed. "Geez, are you really a ninja? Please tell me you were being stupid on purpose."

Sakura shrugged. "It might be."

Sasuke gazed at her for a minute making her blush and mumbled, "Hn."

"When's he going to wake up?" Ino wondered staring behind her out into the rain- drenched village.

"No clue. He had lost quite a lot of blood, so it'll probably be hours before he comes too," Sasuke informed yawning. He got up and entered the bathroom closing it behind him with a snap.

It was then that Naruto sat up scratching his head.

"Proves how much he knows, that snide communist," Naruto mumbled.

He ignored the gasps from the girls and flung the cover off his body to examine his leg. He snarled angrily. Someone had cut the pant leg that covered his aching limb. He saw it been bandaged and wrapped up though a huge circle of red was shining though the wrap growing bigger by the second signaling he was still bleeding. He checked the covers and saw his blood glistening back at him.

"Damn you Kankuro," growled Naruto clenching his fist. "If I don't heal from this I'm gonna make sure I hunt you down and shove a kunai right up your effin—"

"Naruto! You're awake!" Sakura interrupted pointing out the obvious.

Rolling his eyes Naruto replied, "Yeah, I know." He laid his head back on the pillow and flipped over putting his back to them. His leg throbbed painfully but he ignored it. He was lost in his thoughts.

'_They had been discussing me behind my back…about my being disliked by everyone. How long have they been doing that? They could've at least waited until I was awake to start all the spiteful talk about me. Not like, they found a problem talking about me when I was awake. I'm not some damn circus animal whose emotions are being displayed dammit!'_

A hand clasped around Naruto's shoulder making him twitch and intake a short breath. He flipped over and saw Ino smiling at him as she sat down next to him. "Need something?" He asked rather stonily.

She nodded. "Remember yesterday? About how we were supposed to stay over at your house?" She asked not catching Naruto's vindictive tone.

He felt a tug at his heartstring as she said that. Did he remember? That had to be a joke, it had to. It was less than twenty-four hours ago and she is gonna ask if he remembers. He had half a mind to say no and tell her to shove it but he bit back that comment with a grin.

"Yeah…I remember something along those lines," he agreed finally turning away from her.

"Well…how about, instead of returning to your sad-sack of a home, you stay with us?" Ino suggested.

Naruto flipped his whole body around grunting as his leg shouted at him to be still. Had he heard her right? Him? Stay here? And not have to go back to the so-called sad-sack place where he spent almost every night crying?

"Huh? You for real?" He asked a gleam in his eyes.

Halfway across Konoha…

Kankuro looked a mess as he limped toward their destination with his heavy arm over Temari's shoulder. She grunted as she struggled to hold him up and keep her fan over them to shield them from the rain. Deciding it was too much trouble she put the fan away.

Kankuro looked up into the rain with a solemn expression. "That stupid wolf-boy and his dog! I swear…what the hell was it when he got down on all fours like that? What technique was that freak using?"

Temari nudged him in the side to quicken his pace. He was slowing them down and she wanted to get out of the rain before she caught a cold. "I don't know but your hardly one to be calling someone else a freak, you freak with the puppet addiction. Anyway why don't you put some of that damn talking energy, seeing as you have so much, into walking so we can get to Gaara, hmm?"

Kankuro sucked his teeth and ignored her. His cheek had a slash from one of Kiba's attacks on his cheeks and one of Scarecrows' arms was hanging loosely out of a rip in the wrappings. Temari had dirt all over her face from when Sakura had grabbed her hair shoving it into the ground. She retaliated by leaping over her and jump kicking her right in the back.

"I hope this whatever it is competition lets us kill our opponents. I hope I get the dog-man. I'm…gonna…mess…him…up!" Kankuro yelled clenching his fist.

Temari rolled her eyes and sighed. "Ooh! Pretty terrifying coming from a guy who just got his butt boogied all over!"

"What the heck do you mean butt boogied all over?" Kankuro shouted.

"Remember when he jumped on your back moving up and down?"

"He was not doing that, dang it! He was clawing the hell outta my back with those…those claws of his and you know it! That's why Scarecrow's all hanging out and stuff!" Kankuro said.

"Didn't look like that to me," Temari muttered in an undertone.

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing," Temari said in a singsong tone.

"I know. Gaara usually fights people for us so I'll show him ol' doggy boy. Let's see him pull off that dog shit around Gaara. One Desert coffin and poof, he'll be nothing but a blood spurting corpse!" Kankuro murmured frantically.

Temari figured it best to ignore him at the moment and concentrate on seeing through this sleet of rain hailing down on them.

They made their way silently to Hinata's having got the information from Neji who had gone out to see Tenten. They would've fought but Neji knew it wouldn't really be a fight unless they were at full health. He didn't really like the idea of his sister housing Gaara of the Sands but he didn't really like her either so…everything worked out. He wondered how her father would take it once he got back from the land of the waves to find his daughter letting a criminal stay in his house. He grinned at the thought and walked on humming to himself.

Temari and Kankuro sat in the living room with scowls on their faces. They had just traveled all day looking for Gaara and when they finally find his ungrateful butt, he says if they come up and see him, he'll kill them. That's gratitude for ya.

TBC

A/N: Chapter9 is already done and will be posted soon! Yippee!


	9. In all the crud that’s going on…!

Disclaimer: May not own Naruto but I sure own this fic.

"…" Talking

… Italic; thinking

Chapter 9: In all the crud that's going on…!

A/N: Sorry! Sorry! So sorry! Please, forgive! This chapter was just extremely hard to write. But…anyways, here ya go. Enjoy and review.

Ino continued to smile at him. She really was…quite beautiful when she was smiling…

Naruto shook his head directing a heavy leer at her. He couldn't tell if she was joking or being serious. His nose was only useful against smells so that was pretty much shit right now. But something about this sudden burst of kindness just wasn't right. This had to be a joke and he'd be damned if he was about to fall for it like so many times before.

"Ha ha guys, very funny," he said sneering. "I suppose when I was knocked out that's when you came up with this plan, am I right? 'Oh! Let's play one over on ol' Naruto! He won't mind! He doesn't care! He should be used to it now right?' Is that what you did?"

Both Ino and Sakura looked shot. After all they had been through it shocked them how he could think that.

"No! We didn't!" Ino protested shaking her head. "With it raining and your gimp leg we only figured—"

"You figured what exactly?" Naruto interrupted tilting his head to the side.

Ino rolled her eyes patiently. "You'd know if you let me fin—"

Naruto wasn't about to let her finish. "Just because I've got a bum leg doesn't mean I'm handicapped!" he shouted smacking said limb to let them know it didn't hurt. He immediately regretted that. Blood poured out of the almost healed wound and flowed down his leg over his foot. Somehow, he managed to suppress the agonizing scream that had risen up inside him so only a tiny growl escaped his pursed lips.

"No, of course it doesn't," said Sakura frowning at the noise as Ino moved to tighten his wraps. "We were only saying that maybe you'd like to stay here tonight."

Naruto rolled his eyes edgily. "Sakura, Sakura, Sakura…do you know whose house we're in? Pretty-boy Sasuke's that's who! Do you honestly think he'll let me stay in—?"

Now it was Ino's turn to cut in. "Do you think you'd—we'd—be here right now, in his house if we hadn't asked? He already said it was alright."

Naruto dug into his ears with his pinky and unearthed a glob of yellow wax that made the girls shudder with disgust. "Damn." He flicked it off and said, "I'm sorry. Due to that enormous bit of gold, I didn't hear you straight. Say again?"

"He should be rich with that," Sakura mumbled shivering.

Still eyeing Naruto's ears in mingled amazement and disgust Ino said, "We already asked Sasuke. He, uh, said it was okay…just as long as you weren't so annoying. He said he wouldn't hesitate to throw your handicapped ass out."

Now Naruto looked shocked. "That little faggot! He's just lookin' for an excuse to touch my ass, isn't he?"

The girls exchanged glances not knowing what to say. Sakura gave Ino a look that read, "How'd he get that from what we said?" Ino shrugged.

Almost as if waiting for Naruto to say something stupid like that Sasuke's voice came drifting from under the door. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" he said, his tone in a determined calm.

"You'd want me to like that, wouldn't you, you yuck-mouthed, butt-buster!" Naruto yelled shaking his fist at the door as if Sasuke could see it.

_I can't tell if that hate each other or like each other_, thought Ino crossing her arms.

"Don't you go projecting your little sexual fantasies on me!" exclaimed Sasuke, all placidity in his voice abandoned. "You can stay in that closet by your damn self!"

"Grrrr…screw you!"

"You can wish all you like but it's not going to happen!" shrieked Sasuke.

Taking a few seconds to think up another comeback Naruto opened his mouth when a sound like splashing water drowned out his violent retort. _What in the…hell?_ Naruto thought. There was a moment's silence as a he, Ino, and Sakura looked around for a busted water pipe or something.

"You freak…," muttered Naruto moments later. He was eyeing Sakura who was gawking longingly at the bathroom door. "You are a numero uno freak. That's disgusting."

Sakura ignored him, sighing deeply at being so close yet so far away from her prize. _I've never been so close to him before but…at the same time I'm nowhere near him._

Naruto shook his head as another rush of water was heard then Sasuke walked out with a slightly relaxed look upon his face.

"Dude! Gross!" yelled Naruto before Sasuke could even get out the doorway.

Looking puzzled, and going against his better judgment, Sasuke had to ask. "What? What's gross?"

"Who the hell do you know piddles so loud!"

Sasuke snorted. Yeah, just another stupid observation by fox eyes. "Why were you listening so hard?"

A light shade of pink edged into Naruto's cheeks. "I didn't choose to listen hard! It was like you were standing right next to me doing it!"

"Pretty homo-ish sounding if you ask me," said Sasuke reaching into a drawer in his nightstand next to the bed.

"You're one to talk Mr. Uke," Naruto reminded grinning as Sasuke pulled out his Konoha headband. "Oh, thanks. I almost forgot about th—uff!" He saw a flash of metal, experienced a pulse-pounding headache, and hit the ground all in the same frame. _That bastard hit me with my own damn headband_, he thought struggling to get his knees.

"There ya go," Sasuke said calmly.

Naruto sat up, shook his head, and then snatched the headband from Sasuke fastening it around his head. A bruise was visible on his cheek. He now had two bruises, one on each side of his face. "Thanks," he said flashing Sasuke a psychotic smile. "That mark will go just o-so perfectly with the other bruise I got from Kankuro. You remember Kankuro, don't you? The big, hulky, puppet carrying sand freak who handed you your ass on a silver platter? Yes, that Kankuro."

Sasuke stared, clenching and unclenching his hands. His voice shook slightly with anger. "Y-yeah…I r-remember."

"Sasuke! Naruto has enough injuries without you adding to them!" Ino shouted putting her hands on her hips.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, eyeing her waist. For a hot second he remained silent then he shoved Naruto off the bed climbed in, grabbed the remote, and flipped on the TV.

"I…spotted a…mosquito," he said putting his hand behind his head while using the other one to flip through channels with the remote. "I was doing him a favor. Wouldn't want him to catch some sort of disease."

Ino rolled her eyes sighing. "That has to be the lamest excuse I've ever heard! Of all the people not even Naruto would say that!" she raged. Sakura, far from agreeing within earshot of her perfect Sasuke, merely nodded once after checking that he wasn't looking in her direction.

Sasuke glared at her for a second before reaching over snatching off Naruto's headband as he picked himself up off the floor.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled pulling himself up. "Give that back, you prick!"

Sasuke held it up to the light. What looked a like a red drop of paint was actually a crushed and very twitchy mosquito. The blood it had sucked from Naruto was oozing out of its front.

Ino opened her mouth to saw something to this but no words came out. She tried again but silence proceeded. She looked like a fish out of water. Sakura stared as well.

"Ya know, I'm hungry for some seafood all of a sudden," Naruto said staring hungrily at Ino. That remark was soundly ignored.

"Well you didn't need to hit him so hard," she said grinning as she found something to say about it.

"Took you long enough," Sasuke snorted as he put the channel on Adult swim. It had been on for like eleven minutes and Family Guy was airing. He was still pretty pissed at her for choosing Naruto over himself. He just couldn't understand it. What did Naruto have that he didn't? He turned to the dirty blonde haired boy sitting next to him. He was giggling uncontrollably at the show on TV.

"Man! I don't care what anybody says! Family Guy is hoo-larious!" he laughed clutching his trembling sides.

They came in after the commercial ended and saw Peter and Louis run into an old rundown apartment to find a fossilized haggard prostitute sitting on their bed smoking.

On TV

"Oh my God, Peter! There's a prostitute on the bed!" Louis yelled.

The prostitute looked up finally noticing them. "Hi!"

Peter grabs his wife staring at the prostitute. "Don't panic Louis and keep still. Their kinds is based on sight. As long as we don't move she won't see us."

Louis looked at her husband exasperatedly. "Peter! That has got to the stupidest thing I have ever—"

Peter slapped a hand over her mouth while narrowing his eyes at the woman on their bed. They stand completely still.

After a few seconds, the prostitute starts looking around. "Where'd ja go?"

Naruto's bright pink cheeks puffed out to the point of popping as he bit his quivering bottom lip to keep from laughing. He was wringing the front of his parka in his tightly balled up hands struggling not to explode from the build up.

Unfortunately, it happened to be a Family Guy marathon and on the next episode, Naruto lost it.

No one could hear the sound over Naruto's outrageous laughing. It was a good thing they had already seen the episode so they didn't miss much. It was when Peter was proven to be mentally retarded and loses his kids when he puts his wife in the hospital for pouring hot grease on her.

The only part they heard was Peter counting the prostitutes in a goofy childish fashion with numbers appearing over their heads and when Cleveland told Peter to get out of his house and take five of the seven brought prostitutes with him. They only heard those parts because even Naruto had to stop to breathe.

Naruto was absolutely bawling. His face was bright shade of red as he laughed louder and harder. Sasuke turned his attention away from him to the can in his hand. It had about three cracks in it. He blinked unbelieving at it.

"How in the hell can a voice crack tin foil?" Sasuke yelled at Naruto while scooping up some paper towels from the dresser.

Naruto stopped laughing for a second to stare at Sasuke who was wrapping his soda can in towels. A grin appeared on his face as a thin line of Mountain Dew squirted through one of the slits tagging Sasuke right in the eye. His grin started twitching as Sasuke grunted in pain dabbing at his red eye.

On TV, Peter once again said "Seven prostitutes."

Naruto blew a raspberry and continued laughing. He started pounding the bed howling. Tears were leaking from the corner of his eyes.

Sasuke set his wasted drink down and glared at Naruto. He very much wanted to shove a hand deep into his throat and rip out his larynx then stomp on it, run it through the blender, feed it to a dog, and then burn its shit.

"He said…ow, my sides! He said—he said seven…s-seven prostitutes!" Naruto gasped rubbing his stinging eyes and clutching his throat for lack of air. "And…and…Cleveland's keepin' two!"

"I think we might actually see the first human die from laughter," Sakura moaned. She lay sprawled over the couch on her front. She wished more than anything for Sasuke to just walk over to her and give her a back rub. That damn Temari had kicked her smooth between the shoulder blades and it's been aching ever since.

Ino sat at the front of the bed lying on her back with her head tilted towards the TV. She laughed with Naruto though not nearly as loud or as crazy. Naruto laughed like five hyenas!

Sasuke was still studying Naruto for some sort of implication about him that made him unique in the eyes of Ino. He could see nothing. He knew it couldn't be those retarded looking whiskers or his fox-eyes; he's had those since as long as he could remember and Ino still had treated him like a pile of shit. His wardrobe couldn't hook a fish so he knew it couldn't be that. That same orange fashion statement every day. It was annoying and tarnished the sacred, unwritten law of clothes. His voice could grate on your nerves just like hearing Spongebob Squarepant's idiotic laugh all day. Now he could truly sympathize with Squidward for all his years of suffering.

After a few minutes, during which the episode was long off, Sasuke snapped. "Naruto! Shut-up!" He chucked the remote at his head. As Sasuke's aim was, better it connected sending Naruto flipping off the bed landing with a thump. "Your voice is getting on my last nerves! God! It sounds like your gargling a cat's nut sack! Shut that trap you call a mouth or get the hell out!"

Naruto put his chin on the bed while caressing his aching head. "You dick," he muttered.

"Takes one to know one," Sasuke shot back.

It took Ino a second to register what had happened. "Sasuke! What was that for!" she yelled angrily, her arms pressed tightly to her sides with clenched fists.

Sasuke was rubbing his temple. "His voice was…it was annoying. No, scratch that, it was horrible. No…scratch _that_…it was dreadful."

"You dick," repeated Naruto searching the floor for the remote. He found it throwing it at Sasuke who caught it easily, twirled it, and pointed it at the TV.

"Yeah, well, the house you're in belongs to this dick so either you shut up or get out. I'm trying to be nice," said Sasuke sighing. He didn't like losing his temper. And if this didn't push him away from trying to be friends, nothing would. Once again, he had failed…but could anyone honestly say that they wouldn't have snapped? "Thanks for the remote, though," he added hastily trying to say something nice and redeem himself a little.

"Naruto has enough injuries on him without you adding to them Sasuke!" Ino pointed out.

Sasuke ignored her, turning his attention back to the TV. "Sometimes a good ass-kicking can set a person straight."

"Sasuke?" What Sakura was about to ask made her blush. "Would you mind giving me a shoulder rub? That bitch from sand kicked me and it hurts."

Sasuke said nothing but blinked to let her know he had heard her. He clicked the channel to MTV. Eminem was performing his song 'Lose Yourself'. Sasuke absolutely loved this song so he turned up the volume. Eminem's voice was phenomenal.

He raised the mic to his mouth as the beat started going.

"Look…if you had…one shot…"

_What I wouldn't give for one shot_, Sasuke thought glumly chancing a glance at Ino's thighs.

"…Or one opportunity…"

_Wonder why she wears those wraps? She has an excellent figure. You'd think she'd want to show it off_.

"To seize everything you ever wanted…for one moment…"

_If I weren't afraid of…I-I'd seize everything I ever wanted for that moment_.

"Would you capture it…?"

_Hell yes!_

"…Or just let it slip?"

"Hell no!" he yelled absentmindedly, pumping a fist into the air. The others looked round at him and he cleared his throat blushing slightly.

"Yo! His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy! There's vomit on his sweater already! Mom's spaghetti! He's nervous! But on the surface, he looks calm and ready to drop bombs! But he keeps on forgetting what he wrote down—the whole crowd goes so loud! He opens his mouth but the words won't come out! He's choking how? Everybody's joking now, the clocks run out, times up over plow!"

Sasuke grinned as the stage was showered with light and sparks. What he wouldn't give to be in that lucky audience right now jumping about like a fool without a care in the world instead of…

Sakura cleared her throat rather impatiently interrupting his line of thoughts.

Before Sasuke could tell her to shut up so he could listen to the rest of his song Naruto's head surfaced with an idiotic smile. Putting all other thoughts behind him he said, "Hey! I'll do that for ya! Why ask him when you can ask me?"

A look of pained distress surfaced over Sakura's face. "No…no, that's all right Naruto. You really, uh, shouldn't get on your leg. Let it rest," she said soothingly, fanning her hand.

Naruto frowned. "I'm not some damn charity case! I can move! I can do it! Watch!" He stood up biting down hard on his bottom lip to keep from screaming. He grinned, unconvincingly, to show the others he was fine even as sweat surfaced on his brow. As he slowly crossed the room, a thin sheet of sweat clung to his face.

"Naruto! Please sit down!" Ino said grabbing his arm. She desperately wanted him to get back on the bed and give his leg some rest. "You'll only get worse! Please!"

Naruto grit his teeth. He really didn't feel like talking to Ino, much less let her touch him after he discovered she had joined in that conversation of talking to him about him behind his back. He tugged out of her grip looking over at the couch where Sakura lay. For each step he took, it seemed to get farther and farther away. He hated when that crazy psychological crap happened.

No one noticed a certain vein throbbing on a certain Uchiha's temple. Through all of Sakura's fake throat clearings, Naruto's grunts of pain, and Ino's yells of protest the rest of Sasuke's song was drowned out. He grit his teeth but that didn't stop the frenzying yell that erupted from him. Everything got silent. It was too much, too much. He couldn't put up with all the noise, noise, noise! His eyes started spinning. If being friends with Naruto meant putting up with his constant laughing and arguing he'd prefer they be flipping enemies. At least he got quiet when he wasn't on talking terms with that yellow-headed headache.

He jumped off the bed tossing the remote on the floor. Crossing the room in one stride, he grabbed Naruto by the arm and threw him forcefully onto the bed making him bounce once, lose his balance, and fall off with a louder thud. Without a word of remorse, Sasuke crossed over to the door flinging it open with such force it slammed into wall cracking it and stormed out. He took the stairs three at a time. He grasped the doorknob and wrenched it open. It was dark and still pouring and thundering but he didn't care. He needed quiet and lightning was a speck of dirt compared to Naruto's voice.

"I hope you break your bloody leg off you blonde-headed, arrogant, son-of-a-bit—" He slammed the door shut growling.

Outside the rain instantly soaked him to the bone. He looked up into the dark clouds wondering what he ever did to deserve this. He tries to do something nice and this is how he's repaid. Shaking his head, he took off in a brisk run to get away from it all. All the bothering tenants occupying his house. He should've known that with Naruto, Sakura, and Ino there was bound to be head-splitting controversy. Before he knew it, he was running through an alley. He slowed down to a walk, his chest heaving. His hair kept getting in his eyes blurring his vision.

"Whoa!"

In the second he closed his eyes to brush his bothersome hair out of the way he tripped over something falling face-first smashing into the cold wet ground. He lay still for a few seconds before turning around. He saw the outline of a girl rubbing her head. She had black hair done up in two balls on the side of her head. He couldn't see her face; it was too dark.

Sasuke stood up and walked over to her. He gasped as a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky illuminating her face.

"Tenten!" he croaked as she gazed at him. "What were you doing in the middle of the alleyway?"

Tenten stared at him for a second before answering. "I was meditating, when something conked me in the back of my head. What are you doing here?"

"A strange place to meditate but why should I care? I was walking, minding my own business until I tripped over something cracking my nose," Sasuke added as blood made a break for freedom out of his left nostril. "A nosebleed. Great."

Tenten stared at the scarlet liquid leaking from his nose transfixed before shaking her head. She stood up, her skirt fluttering dangerously, and took out a kunai with her eyes zipping from her hand to Sasuke who was bent over, grumbling angrily while brushing off his soaked pant legs.

He straightened up and immediately bent over backwards onto his hands. He flipped over backwards putting distance between him and Tenten who had just swiped at him. He looked down and saw a rip in his shirt.

"Um…might I ask what the hell that was for?"

Tenten smirked as she held the kunai at eye-level. "Seeing as Lee isn't here you'll do."

Sasuke stared. What did Lee have to do with any of this? Was she going to try and kill him? "What are you talking about?" he asked taking a fighting stance out of habit.

"Me and Lee, no rhyme intended, had planned a sparring match today," Tenten explained giving her wrist a flick. "I think he bailed because of the rain, though. So you can take his place. From what I hear, you love to fight."

Sasuke continued to stare. Sure, he was itching for a brawl someone to siphon his anger into for the cruddy day he was having but he didn't want to battle her. However, someone like Naruto or Neji or Kankuro would do. "Hn, lemme think about that for a min—no. Sorry, but I'm just walking."

Tenten sighed. She wasn't one to force someone into battle against their will. She pocketed her weapon, stretching. "Ah well. I think I'm plenty strong for whatever they have planned for Saturday, right?"

Sasuke first response was going to be "why the hell are you asking me?" but instead he snapped his fingers. "Holy crap! The competition! I almost forgot about that damn thing."

"How could you?" Tenten asked unable to believe her ears. Everywhere she went, if she wasn't seeing people training harder to push their limits they were rushing into bathrooms to throw up. She didn't think anyone in the village could forget. "It's all everyone's been talking about for the past two days! I thought you of all people would care."

Sasuke shrugged casually. "Hn." In all honesty, he really didn't care about whatever it was they would do. What he did care about was the Chunin exams. But from what he had heard, they were a long way off. But, from what he coaxed from Iruka after an intense interrogation, he needed to be part of three-man cell group.

"So," Tenten started staring at him with her cat eyes, "where are you off to?"

Sasuke turned to her and felt a little bit more blood squirt out of his nose. His eyes were glued to her rain-soaked see-through T. Blood now leaked through both nostrils as he stared wide-eyed at her bare chest.

"No…bra," he muttered dryly feeling his body stiffen.

"What?" Tenten asked holding a hand to her ear. "Speak up! This thundering makes it hard to hear you clea—"

She stopped mid-sentence as what Sasuke was looking at hit her. Looking down she gasped as her face turned a light shade of pink. She could see through her shirt straight to her…!

"You…you pervert!" Tenten yelled covering her chest.

Sasuke, his vision now obscured, pried his eyes away, and flailed his arms. "No! No! Hold on! It wasn't my fault! The rain…and the shirt…and the my having eyeballs! It couldn't be helped," he said regaining his calmness.

Tenten breathed heavily then sighed folding her arms. She figured he had point. The shirt was pretty thin so…she sighed again. "Fine," she said haughtily. "I'll forgive you this time…just, this time."

Sasuke nodded. "Good. Glad you're not like some girls you just chase guys because they see or do something accidentally perverted." For reasons unbeknownst to himself a sudden picture of Sakura in Tenten's position flashed through his mind. But, instead of calling him a pervert she actually giggled at him. _Dude, I must be going fucking crazy_, Sasuke thought putting a hand to his head as a strong gale blew through. He cleared his throat. "So…you truly forgive me, right? No evil plan to get back at me, right?"

Nodding, Tenten let out a gasp. An unpleasant breeze was running through her legs. She looked at Sasuke hardly daring to believe it. Sure enough, he was staring down, below her waist with his nosebleed worsening. She looked and saw that a violent burst of wind had flung her skirt up.

"Purple…pan-pan…whoa," muttered Sasuke feeling the uncomfortable binding of his boner being constricted by his tight shorts. "Ouch…."

The next couple of seconds were a sort of blur. It happened so fast Sasuke barely had enough time to react. He caught Tenten's fist as she swung at him and caught her other hand with which she held a kunai determined to drive it into him. He threw her back and the next thing he knew he was stroking through more alleyways with Tenten right on his heels waving a fist around.

"Aaaah! I said I didn't mean to! Jesus! Let it go!" he shouted over his shoulder taking a sharp left. He groaned as Tenten appeared right behind him. He pumped his legs harder felling as if he was breaking new speed records.

"Yeah! I believed you the first time! The second time was you on purpose you perverted rat!" Tenten shrieked angrily, splashing through puddles soaking her slender legs.

Sasuke turned another corner and jumped up grabbing onto a ladder leading into a fire escape. "I…pant!…am not a pervert! Naruto's got that division covered!" he told her as the sounds of their feet pounding against metal entered his ears. He came to the end of the stairs and deftly jumped straight up through an opening front flipping and landing on his feet. He took off as though he never stopped.

"Then stop running!" Tenten ordered as they left the fire escape and began to jump over building tops.

"No! You'll kill me!"

"Glad to see you've grasped the general concept!" Tenten yelled landing with a heavy thud on a building top cracking it.

"I always was smart!" Sasuke informed grinning out of nervous habit.

As he leapt over another ledge, his foot slipped over the wetness. He let out a cry of surprise as he grabbed for the brim, missed, and plummeted down…down…down. Yoing! As he fell, his foot was caught in a clothesline. He bounced up and down swaying dangerously, praying that the rope would hold as he was suspended in mid-air between two buildings, he fluttered his arms for a minute before crossing them giving a sigh.

"Must…must stay calm," Sasuke muttered to himself as the blood rushed to his head. There really wasn't much calm to be found. He was hanging upside down in one of the worst storms he had ever seen; not counting the high percentage of getting the shit shocked out of him by a bolt of lightning. Does that seem…calm?

He twisted his body, looking up and saw Tenten staring down at him. Shock was etched across her face. Even though she wanted had wanted to pound him to mush, she never really wanted to kill him. Giving a relieved sigh, her shock was quickly replaced by anger now that she knew he was going to be all right.

"I hope you catch your death down there, you perverted little worm!" she yelled before disappearing out of sight.

Sasuke blinked. He couldn't believe she had just done that. Just walked off and left him.

"Who you calling a perverted little worm!" he yelled after her.

No reply.

Sasuke grit his teeth as he cupped his hands around his mouth. "I DIDN'T KNOW YOU LIKED THE COLOR PURPLE! I GUESS I'LL GET YOU A PURPLE BRA TO MATCH IT SEEING AS HOW YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO WEAR ONE!"

"Screw you!" he heard Tenten scream.

"You fucking wish!" he screeched back.

Nothing but silence.

Sasuke couldn't believe it; he didn't want to. The only person who could possibly help him was walking away like that. Didn't she have a conscious? How could she live with herself? Quite easily so apparently. He looked down and gulped. He couldn't even see the ground he was so high. It just looked like a dark, ominous pit. "Damn! Why'd they have to build these buildings so high? Didn't they take into consideration what would transpire if a situation like this happened?

"Stupid building constructors!" he yelled. In his fury, an idea came to mind. Sasuke seemed to think better when his life was on the line. "If I cut this thing then I should be able to fall on my feet…or break all the bones in my body." He gulped heavily as he reached for his thigh with a shaking hand. "I really hope it's the former."

He opened the black box on his thigh and screamed. Forgetting just that quickly that he was hanging upside down, in an alley, and in the rain he lifted the lid only to have all his shuriken and kunai fall out and down out of sight.

Sasuke stared unbelievingly down at the un-seeable ground as an unwanted feeling of soaked boxers crept into him. He gritted his teeth and suppressed the shriek of fury begging to be released. Words or howls just couldn't express the immense rage he was feeling. Now, not only was he upside-down in the rain, but he was also quite defenseless.

"And it would just be my effin luck if Kankuro or Gaara came by…or," he shuddered not because of the rain but because of the gleaming red Sharingan eyes that had entered his head, "Itachi."

He chuckled to himself over this ridiculous thought. Itachi had to be at least 100 miles away. Away from him…unable to hurt him.

_And I like it that way_, he thought closing his eyes. _Now…how in the hell am I supposed to get out of here? If I try to untangle myself, I fall from heights I'm pretty sure no one could come out of OK. If I move around too much the rope breaks and I…fall._

He punched the air in front of him out of frustration and gave a yell. Light-headedness was starting to grip him in the worse way. After a few minutes, he thought he saw a glint of something moving beneath him but before he could get a second look it was gone. He paid it no mind and tried twisting his body up but the more he tussled the more the rope splintered so he remained still.

"Argh! I don't need anyone's help out of this! I can do it on my own!" he yelled stupidly. Perhaps he just wanted to make himself feel better for being stupid enough to trip and fall. He couldn't believe it. Skimming buildings and rooftops was a basic skill for any ninja. It was so easy and still…he fell like an amateur with down syndrome.

He soon lost track of the time—it had grown darker and the rain was pouring harder. His head felt as if it were about to burst from the pressure. The foot that was snared and half his leg felt numb all around. He supposed this is what you would irony. He left the comfort of his house to run in the rain, see some girl's underwear, and then get hung by a clothesline. If he'd thought about it, instead of being blinded by anger, he would've thrown them out instead. He hated himself for thinking this but…he was half-hoping Ino or Sakura would say, "Sasuke's been out for a long time, I'll go find him" and come looking.

"Wow! Sasuke! What are you doing here?" came a voice Sasuke knew all too well and wasn't particularly happy to hear it at the moment.

Sasuke looked up, his fears confirmed. _Great, great, just my luck. This is exactly what I needed_, he thought miserably.

TBC….

A/N: Thank you to my many readers for reading my story. Please R&R! Praise will make me happy while criticism will make me happy. Gotta learn don't I? I promise to get you the next chapter quicker. Once again sorry. See ya.


	10. Hints and Food Fights

Disclaimer: May not own Naruto but who cares? This fic sure is mine!

"…" Talking

… Italic; thinking

A/N: Well, this isn't anywhere near as quick as I said it would be…sigh…I had to write and rewrite this chapter like twenty times before I was happy with it. (Seriously, it was that difficult) Please tell me how it is! Somebody out there give me some feedback!

Chapter 10: Hints and food fights!

Sasuke looked up grimacing. He immediately turned it into a pained grin when he noticed the bowl-cut hairdo belonging to the genin known as Rock Lee. He could tell by the headband shining from around his waist. Even though he would've preferred someone/anyone else to come by an old proverb stated 'beggars can't be choosers.' He felt that needed some serious changing.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked. He choked on the rain that had immediately clogged his throat and threw his head back spitting. "Urgh…"

"What am I doing? What are _you_ doing? I was waiting for Tenten!" Lee answered joyfully, jumping down. He landed swiftly on the rope making it bounce about violently.

Sasuke flailed his arms around looking for something to latch onto. "Hey! Hey! I'm dangling for lifes sake on the rope you just hoped on, idiot!" Sasuke yelled glaring at Lee. He reached up grabbing onto the genin's leg getting it in a death-grip. "So, could we please be a little careful? Thanks."

Lee hung his head slightly. "Sorry 'bout that. Anyway, I was waiting here for Tenten. She said to meet her here. But she hasn't shown up. But, I don't mind waiting," he explained happily noticing the grip Sasuke had his leg in. "Uhh…my…leg, it's going numb," he said reaching down and trying to pry Sasuke's fingers off him.

"Oh fucking well," Sasuke grumbled tightening his hold until he heard a crack that made Lee whimper painfully. He wasn't letting go until his feet hit ground. "And this is the wrong alley, dingus. You missed it by like four lanes over."

"Really?" Lee abandoned his loosening attempts after it proved quite clearly that Sasuke wasn't letting go. He couldn't feel that limb anyway. "Shoot! I really wanted to fight her! Darn it! How could I have been so stupid as to—"

Sasuke interrupted him. "Ya know, as much as I'd love to hear you ramble on about your idiocy, would you mind, if it's not too much trouble, to GET ME THE HELL DOWN FROM HERE!"

"Hmm? Oh…yeah, sorry." Lee closed his eyes and started humming to himself.

Sasuke watched silently wondering vaguely how the clothesline was supporting them both. It had to be one strong rope to hold both their weights combined. His thoughts then veered back to Lee who was muttering under his breath. What was he doing? Some sort of nonverbal jutsu? A shizuka jutsu?

Before he could ask, Lee's eyes shot open. "Hm…what was I about to do?" he wondered scratching his head gazing confusedly at Sasuke who stared back in astonishment. "Oh yeah! Okay, I remember now!"

"Glad to hear it!" Sasuke yelled angrily almost drowning once again. He felt like a retarded turkey staring up into a rainstorm. "Damn…"

"Hold tight!" warned Lee and without another word, he leapt up snatching a surprised Sasuke with him. He acted with the fleetness of a cat as he hopped from the side of one building to another with Sasuke hanging on for dear life.

"ARRGHHH!"

BAM!

The Uchiha blinked and found himself lying on his back on one of the dwellings. His chest heaved painfully. He kept shaking his numb leg trying to get the circulation flowing again. Lee was sitting on his left staring at him. Neither of them seemed to care too much about being out in the middle of a storm and on top of a building where they could get the shit shocked out of them by lightning.

"Thank…you…for…the…rescue," Sasuke panted putting a hand over his racing heart. He felt his face burn hot knowing damn well he was blushing. Being saved like a lost child was embarrassing. He was more the independent type. The main reason behind why he never even bothered to thank Shikamaru for saving his neck. Although he should've as it would've been the proper and decorous thing to do but…ah well, it was over.

"No prob, bob," Lee said waving his thanks away. "Hm, gettin' pretty nasty out here ain't it? All this rain and wind. Think it's a hurricane? Or a tornado? Or, just possibly, a tropical storm?"

Sasuke sighed rolling his eyes. Why did Lee of all people have to save him? Why Lee? He was okay and all but sometimes it was just plain embarrassing to be around him. Sasuke for one kept getting the chills whenever Lee said something painfully obvious. The boy just had this goofy air about him at all times. The only time he had ever seen Lee serious was when he was fighting. Sasuke sat up and felt a twinge of pain in his side. That grove made by Kankuro's marionette still stung…badly…

_I'm not…fully healed yet_, he thought standing up. After stamping down a few times on his leg he could feel it again! "Ahh…much better."

The blue beast continued sitting with his black eyes following every move Sasuke made. "Hey…"

Sasuke stretched and turned around. "Hn?"

Lee stood, cracked his neck, and grinned. "Wanna go lookin' for Neji and Tenten?"

"Neji…" Sasuke muttered clenching his hand into a tight fist. Now Neji, _there_ was someone he wanted to fight. Someone to siphon his anger into and then, as a plus, set him straight about who the strongest was. "Sure. Why not?"

Lee's smile stretched from ear to ear. "Good!"

As they walked near the building's end Sasuke cast a leery look in Lee's direction, scratching the bridge of his nose.

Lee noticed this.

"Need something, man?" he asked swinging his arms stiffly at his sides.

Sasuke nodded trying to choose his words carefully. "Umm, I know this is gonna sound really stupid but…that headband around your waist, right? How in the hell do you get it to fit around there?"

Hours later back at Sasuke's house…

Naruto sat on the bed with his arms crossed and his back up against the headboard. His head was lolled forward, eyes closed. Not sleeping, just in deep thought. Last night's festivities had left him extremely tired. Didn't bode well that in another hour he would have to go to school.

The clock on the nightstand next to him was blinking 6:30 am. It was Thursday. Two more days until that damn competition. Naruto used to look forward to it so much that he ate 252 bowls of ramen a day instead of his usual 648. But now…now he wished he hadn't even heard of it. He wished he had torn up his letter and kicked that pudgy bastard right out of his house.

Ino and Sakura were both on the couch with their heads in their hands. They kept twitching and jerking out of the sleep that was threatening to overcome them. It had already been decided that, seeing as school started in just an hour, what would be the point of sleeping. Naruto, being the hyperactive non-Ritalin boy he was, didn't need to sleep.

His leg has since stopped throbbing and bleeding thanks to Kyuubi's recuperating abilities. He could walk but running was out of the question unless he wanted his white meat showing…again. The TV and all the lights were off though it wasn't dark with the sunlight drifting through the dry windows. It ceased raining about an hour after Sasuke left.

The crazy events that had unfolded last night were replaying over and over in his mind with his grin growing bigger and bigger on each pass. His smile eventually reached ear to ear, as he could still taste a certain person's lips upon his own. His thoughts then wandered to a rag in his back pocket. What the hell had been on that thing to make them act that way?

Then there was that weird meeting with Shino earlier. Naruto still didn't believe what he told them to expect on Saturday though the girls took it at face value. It had to be bullshit. There was just no way in hell that load of malarkey could be true. If it was, then…crap, his life was about to take an unexpected turn for the worst. He sighed; he'd find out soon enough if it was true. He jerked as the alarm clock went off making such a racket both girls toppled off the couch onto the ground.

Naruto laughed.

"'Ide the women and children!" Sakura yelled stupidly, shoving Ino under the bed. "I'll protect ya wit me life madam! Those rogues won't 'ave you! I shan't allow it!" She held up her hand as though valiantly unsheathing a sword.

"Hey! Sakura, wait! You stupid bit—mmfrl mggh!" Ino yelled through Sakura's foot as she was kicked in deeper.

Naruto's hand shot out hitting the clock and bringing silence except for Sakura's heavy breathing as she got down on her belly looking around anxiously as though expecting elephants to stampede through. He opened one eye gazing at her. It was hard to believe that ever since he had first laid eyes on her he had tried nonstop to get her away from Sasuke. He had wanted her so badly but all she had eyes for was pretty-boy. It drove him mad. Looking back, he grinned at his stupidity for actually holding off on food to prove his love to her. That phase had long since been over. Now, he had a new love. One that enjoys his company, one that doesn't yell at him or hit him incessantly, one that likes him for him. And that person is….

"Calvary dismissed, you idiot!" Ino shouted interrupting Naruto's thought as she booted Sakura out of her way.

Sakura flew across the room bouncing off the couch. "Where…where am I?"

Ino stood, stretching, and gasped as hands wrapped around her waist. She turned around and saw Naruto right behind her with a big grin on his face.

"A little too early for all that perverted stuff, eh, Naruto?" she asked smirking through a yawn. "We just started."

Naruto gave her neck a brushing kiss before he sat back down ruffling his dirty-blonde hair. "Yeah. But, as we're dating I figured waist hugging is permitted, right?"

Ino giggled and sat down next to him as Sakura got up running fingers through her pink hair. She surveyed her friends in silence before clapping. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Idiot and Ms Pig. The new couple."

"Stop sipping that hate-orade and shut up, forehead girl," snapped Ino, sticking out her tongue.

Before Sakura could respond to this, the door flew open and Sasuke limped in. He was in a right state—clothes slashed, an extremely bloody bandage wrapped around his pale ankle, and an uncountable amount of scratches on his exposed bits of skin. There was a blotch of blood under his nose and there appeared to be a large square-shaped bruise all over his face. His kunai holder was empty, the lid hanging open lamely. Without even acknowledging the others, he made his way to the thankfully empty couch and sat down breathing heavily. A vast majority of the sofa became soaked from his clothes, which clung to him like a second skin. He tilted his head back letting out long whoosh of air…

"Sorry…I seemed to have missed our little soiree," he muttered sarcastically, rubbing his ankle. "I can't believe she cut me like that. Jesus…ouch…"

Naruto stared the Uchiha up and down. "Damn dude…what happened? You get gang banged or something?"

Ino giggled.

Sasuke didn't hear; his ears were still clogged with rain.

Sakura blinked. "Sasuke, what's wrong with your face? Why's it all red?" she asked uncertain that she wanted to know.

Sasuke, realizing Sakura's mouth was moving but hearing nothing, grunted as he shook his head. Water poured out of both ears like streams further soaking the couch. "Sorry…say again?"

"…"

_Where has he been?_

"I said, what's wrong with your face? It's all red."

Sasuke ran a finger tenderly over his aching nose. "Ever get hit in the face with a brick? This is what it does to you."

Naruto's perfect moment of bliss had finally arrived! He leapt up strutting over to his nemesis grabbing a fistful of Sasuke's hair and pulling his head up so that they were face to face.

"Guess what pretty-boy?" Naruto spat.

Sasuke remained silent, his eyes closed peacefully. He was halfway on the sleep-train and didn't really feel like sleeping for an hour just to get back up for stupid school.

_I can't believe Shikamaru helped me again! Damn it Is he my guardian angel or something? Every time I'm in trouble it seems as though he's always there, always lending a hand, always helping, always being a HUGE pain in my ass! ARGH!_

Naruto shook him making Sasuke grunt signaling he had heard. "You probably won't believe it but Ino and me…?" Naruto broke off up holding up a pinky, grinning triumphantly. "See the red ribbon? Well, do you?"

Sasuke opened his eyes for a split second before letting the calm darkness of his eyelids invade his sight once again. "Nope. Can't say that I can, baka."

Naruto, ignoring the "baka" comment, expected him to say this. "Of course you can't. A single, cynical asshole like you wouldn't be able to see it. Only Ino and I can. And why is that you ask—"

"—I don't remember asking—" muttered Sasuke with a smirk.

Naruto hadn't heard. "—Well, lemme tell you! Because me and her, we, Naruto and Ino, us, and any other plural form of two people together, are lovers!" Naruto yelled smiling triumphantly as Ino blushed adverting her eyes. "What say you now, nave?"

Sasuke's eyes shot open. He looked around the boy that held him to Ino who suddenly found her feet extremely interesting. The monster in Sasuke's stomach lifted its head giving a low growl but just as quickly went back to sleep. Surprisingly…he didn't really find himself caring very much. There was always Sakura but that would be under very desperate measures. He'd sooner go out with Hinata. Maybe if Sakura didn't act like a dog in heat around him he'd give her a try.

"You don't say, brat," he muttered without the slightest hint of anger.

Naruto laughed. "Oh, but I do say, you horse-humping Uke-man! What do you say?"

"Besides you got some kick-ass morning breath," Sasuke began grinning maliciously, "I say I don't care."

Naruto blinked. That right there wasn't exactly the way he planned his nemesis' reaction. He expected Sasuke to fly on him and demand a fight, which was what he wanted. Not wanting to seem like that statement had gotten to him, he nodded clearly at a loss for words.

For a long time there was a heavy silence. Starting to get a crick in his neck Sasuke grasped Naruto's hand and pushed it away. He laid back down with a great sigh. Naruto wandered back over to the bed taking his seat, still slightly dazed.

"But, moving past all this frilly dating shit I found out some rather upsetting news," Sasuke said opening one eye in a lazy fashion.

Sakura nodded as she knew what he was talking about. "Yeah…we heard about it from Shino when he came by to pick up his movie."

The Uchiha opened eyes. "Really? I wonder how he found out."

"Those damn bugs of his," Naruto answered laying back. "At first I didn't believe him. Didn't wanna believe him actually."

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah…when I found out I kind of went a little over the deep end with Lee. Said some things I probably shouldn't have said. I bet my soul he'll try to get me back during the competition."

Ino sat down next to Naruto and leaned over his legs. "I'm still finding this hard to believe. What they're doing is crazy!"

"Seriously, to get a better understanding of our fellow neighbors lands my ass. I'm not leaving Konoha," Sasuke stated darkly, squeezing his fist to increase his seriousness.

Naruto nodded. "I hear that. Too much has happened here for me to just give it all up and leave. No way in hell…I'll fight anyone who tries to make me leave, even if its Lord Hokage."

Sakura gave a sad laugh. "He'd kill you."

"Yeah, but at least I'd be buried here, though," Naruto grinned. "Oh! I almost forgot. Hey, Uke-master."

Sasuke looked up. "Yes, loser?"

"About that bug you smashed against my forehead protector. Shino wondered if you knew it was one of his. Did you?"

"Yup."

"You are so full of shit. No you didn't," Naruto said sitting up.

"Okay, believe whatever you want to believe."

"I so do not feel like going to school in the next hour. I haven't gotten any beauty sleep at all," Ino whined leaning her head on Naruto's shoulder.

"Eh, you didn't need it anyway," Naruto said as she smiled.

Sakura spoke before Ino could. "Umm…Sasuke! Who cut your ankle like that?"

Sasuke growled out loud. "That bitch Tenten."

Naruto started laughing. "Dude, you suck at fighting! I can't believe I thought of you as my rival! First you get your ass kicked by that puppet fag and now you just got served by Tenten? If this is the best you can do, you'd die fighting Gaara!"

"First of all, douche, it was me against Tenten _and_ Rock lee, all right? It was a tie for your information. Now shut your damn chili-hole and let me rest. I refuse to spend my last hour before school talking to an ignoramus like you."

Naruto scowled. "You smug son of a bit—"

Sakura slapped a hand over his mouth. "Just let it go."

After that silence fell and they rested, regaining little bits of energy every second…

At Hinata's house…

Kankuro and Temari were lying on the floor in the living room fast asleep as they had no school to go to in this hick village. Temari was on her back, her hands behind her head with Kankuro's head rested comfortably on her stomach. His arms were crossed over his chest. Hinata's living room was pretty bare. The walls were painted a dark-red that reminded everyone (especially Gaara) of blood. It consisted of a glass table in the center, a couch against the far wall opposite the 20-inch TV in the home theater stand, and a chair near the entrance hall into the room. The kitchen connected to the living room through another door.

Something hard smashed into Kankuro's side making him yelp and flip over Temari. He opened his eyes and saw Gaara standing above him dressed with his arms crossed and eyes narrowed looking extremely menacing. He reared back his foot to kick him again when Kankuro held out a pleading hand.

"Ow…couldn't y-y-y…yawn…you have found a better way to wake—"

"No. I couldn't," growled Gaara cutting him off. "Wake up the girl, get your lazy ass up, and let's go. We've spent too much time here as it is. We have to start training for whatever the hell's going on Saturday."

_Like you need to train anyway, sand demon,_ Kankuro thought rolling his eyes under his eyelashes. "Can't we eat first?" he whined as his stomach rumbled. "Some of us weren't at the luxury of having decent food yesterday, so come on. Show a little compassion!"

"No. Temari! Wake—the—fuck—up!" yelled Gaara throwing her a dangerous look.

Temari, having just being awoken from a very discreet dream between her and Sasuke, sat up yawning. "Righty-o, little bro."

Gaara's left eye twitched. "You call me that bloody name one more time and I'm gonna rip your—"

A clank from behind made all three of them jump out of their skins. Gaara's hand had unconsciously shot to the corker of his gourd as he turned around. Hinata had dropped three plate of food on the glass table behind them. There were scrambled tofu, three tempeh sandwiches, loaves of fresh hot bread and butter, and some orange juice.

"I…I m-made you br…breakfast," stuttered Hinata pointedly.

Gaara's arms fell to his sides as he stared at the bountiful amounts of food laid before him.

"Whoa! Check out the spread! Ahh…it smells so good!" Kankuro yelled with globs of drool seeping over his bottom lip.

"Pig," Temari muttered. "Pick up your lip, you beast. You're getting slobber all over the girl's carpet!"

Gaara swallowed hard. He didn't want to stay in this house with that creepy white-eyed girl who wouldn't stop blushing at him like some sort of retard but…his stomach gave a loud growl of protest to the mere thought of leaving. The aroma of all the delicious food wafted in his direction and commenced to slapping him in the nose. His mouth was overloaded with a torrent of drool…

He gulped, stared at the girl then at the food, and dove on it.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! What was all that bullshit earlier about not eating, huh!" Kankuro yelled standing up. "Thought you were fasting!"

"Muff fagh gyug!" yelled Gaara through healthy mouthfuls of delicious tofu and tempeh as he reached for some orange juice. He took a long drink. "Ahh…now, in case you did not hear that…shut the hell up!"

"Shove over!" Kankuro yelled taking a running start. He leapt on top of Gaara reaching over him, snatching bits of food, and shoveling them into his mouth. Gaara did a 360 spin knocking Kankuro on the ground opposite him across the table. He bounced up as if on a spring and snatched away the tempeh sandwich his brother had reached for. It was halfway to his lips when Gaara wrapped a hand tightly around his throat.

"That…was…mine!" Gaara growled taking it back. He stuffed it whole in his mouth and started choking. His face turned a light purple as he clutched his throat, gagging.

Kankuro laughed spraying bits of bacon over the table. "Ha! Serves you right!"

Sand poured out of Gaara's gourd forming itself into a thin, taloned fist, which began hammering him in the chest. After a few seconds, a stray piece of tempeh shot out clocking Kankuro right in the eye.

"Ow! Son of a bit—urgh," Kankuro groaned flicking the food off. "Ugh! Nasty! It was all wet!"

"Serves _you_ right," Gaara grinned, licking his fingers.

Temari and Hinata stood side to side watching the boys fight over the chow. Food was flying, spit was soaring, and swear words were coasting through the air. Temari was shaking her head in an embarrassed way.

"I'm putting myself up for adoption," she sighed.

"Good! See ya! Don't let the door hit your fat ass on the way out!" Kankuro yelled past a mouthful of tofu as he jerked a thumb towards the door.

Temari held up a very rude finger and turned to Hinata. "Anyway, uh…what's your name?"

Before she could answer, Gaara swallowed all in his mouth creating a huge lump in his throat. "Hinata. It's Hinata Hyuuga," he gasped, his eyes watering. He grabbed a knife and a slice of toast, buttered it with uncanny agility, and stuck it in his mouth crunching loudly. He dropped the metal utensil and dove on tofu.

"God, you'd think they hadn't eaten in years," Temari muttered.

Hinata blushed and turned to Temari bowing. "Y-yes. Th-that's my n…name."

Temari didn't bow, she simply said, "Hm. Okay, anyway can I have a plate of my own food, please? These two have contaminated it with their germs."

Kankuro and Gaara each reached for the last loaf of bread both grabbing an end. There was a pause before it was ripped clear in half. They met each other's determined eyes. With lightning quick reflexes, they each scooped up their knives and grabbed for the tub of butter. They sent it flipping into the air. In the two seconds the margarine was airborne both sand-nin's shot out their hands scooping out some butter then slapped it on their bread just as the tub hit the table in its exact position…

They then shoved the halves into their mouths as though seeing who could swallow first.

"Whoa, Neo's got nothing on you guys," muttered Temari, shaking her head again as Hinata went to fetch some more food. "Oh, and sorry to be pressing ourselves on you like this Hinata."

"Oh…it…it's no-nothing r-really," Hinata stammered disappearing around the corner.

Temari turned her attention back to her savage brothers who had one hand raised over their next object. There was sweat riddled on both their faces, as they didn't dare break eye contact. She spotted that their prey was the last tempeh sandwich. She sighed.

_It doesn't stand a chance_, Temari thought shamefully.

There was a nasty silence as neither boy moved a hair. The seconds passed with the only sound being Hinata as she bustled around, happily preparing Temari's breakfast. This house was so big and her father was away on a mission and Neji rarely visited her. A crazy idea that he didn't like her that much had more than once ran through her mind. She knew that wasn't true but…she was still somewhat lonely. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro—maybe she could learn more about them and persuade them to come back…. A glass of juice she had been carrying had slipped from her fingers in her dreamy state.

"Whoa!"

Hinata did a deep split catching it without spilling a drop. _I…guess all that training is starting to pay off_, she thought standing up, her heart hammering.

Back in the living room neither Gaara nor Kankuro had moved. Both their arms were starting to get tired but they didn't gamble trying to reach for it. Temari, who was watching from the sidelines, was waiting for one of them to make the move that seemed unlikely to ever come. After giving an impatient sigh a plan to speed things up came to her.

_Heh…this aught a be entertaining._

"MY SANDWICH!" she screeched making them both jump with fright.

With a bang, Gaara's gourd exploded but the sand retracted before causing damage. Neither sand-nin noticed this as their sandwich was the mission at hand. Instead of reaching for it like Gaara, Kankuro reacted on instinct and spit on it...

Gaara pulled back in disgust. "Argh! You sick bastard!" he yelled pounding the table making everything bounce. "I wanted that!"

Kankuro pulled the snack towards him with a satisfied grin. "Yeah, well, tough shit, bro. This sick bastard just scored himself a free deliciouso sandwich."

A growl emitted in Gaara's throat as Kankuro took a hearty bite from the sandwich that rightfully belonged to him. Hinata came back from the kitchen carrying a small tray and gave it to Temari who sat down a few feet away from her brothers making sure to be out of range of their spit.

Gaara was seriously considering burying Kankuro in sand where he sat. _C'mon…do it!_ Shukaku urged in the depths of his mind. _Who cares if he's your brother! I haven't felt blood in so long it's like hell…what's a little blood among family?_

_No. You forget that you killed that butterfly yesterday, _Gaara snapped, watching as Kankuro polished off the last bit of crust. "Son of a…"

_It was a friggin' butterfly! C'mon, man! You know you want to!_

_Yeah, well, that's besides the point, isn't it?_, Gaara responded defiantly while deftly bringing the entire plate of scrambled tofu his way. "I'll just be taking this tofu seeing as you got the tempeh. That all right with you?"

Kankuro opened his mouth furiously to object to that when an eerie looking hand made of sand crept out of Gaara's gourd wavering at his side. Kankuro froze, eyeing the limb apprehensively. "Eh-heh…y-you go ahead and take your fill bro. You are looking a tad skinny anyway. We need to fatten you up!"

Gaara grinned evilly. "Much obliged…bro."

What Hinata had expected to be a quiet breakfast was quickly becoming a bout. She could tell when Gaara literally jumped over the table wrapping his hands around Kankuro's throat. Temari had to separate them. Did this mean that they liked her cooking…? Or that they were just exceedingly hungry? She could hardly point out that she had to go to school in the next hour over all the scrapping for food, yells, and choking noises.

TBC

A/N: If you're wondering what happened during those convenient hours tune in for the next chapters! I give you all my…(thinking)…my…my…ah! My coveted ultra promise that the next chapter will be quicker! And thanks for the reviews! I LOVE them!


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